Schoolboy sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his international debut for India but England’s own ‘starboy’ Jacob Bethell ensured it was a losing start for the teenager.
At just 15 years and 99 days old, Sooryavanshi usurped Sachin Tendulkar as his country’s youngest men’s player and marked the occasion with two blistering sixes as he scored 14 from 10 balls.
But it was Bethell, a comparative veteran at the grand old age of 22, who made the match-winning contribution in the second T20I at Emirates Old Trafford.
With England chasing 191 for victory, he came to the crease at 51 for three and produced a perfectly paced 76 not out to carry the hosts to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
He hit the button in a game-changing 17th over, smashing two free hits for six after backfoot no-balls from Ravi Bishnoi, who leaked 29 to put England in control. As the spinner crumbled under pressure, Bethell thrived in the glare, confirming his status as the leading light of England’s coming generation.
Bethell hit five fours and five sixes in his 46-ball stay, finishing the game alongside Jofra Archer as England nailed a four-wicket win with an over to spare.
Opening the batting in place of Sanju Samson, Sooryavanshi walked out in front of a majority Indian crowd in Manchester and a primetime evening television audience in Mumbai.
His first opponent was another debutant, Josh Tongue, 13 years older but with 13 fewer T20 appearances on his professional CV. He swung hard but missed his first two balls, then got off the mark with a sketchy inside edge that pinged past his off stump.
That brought him up against his Rajasthan Royals team-mate Archer and he duly announced himself by stooping low to send a remarkable stroke spiralling high over his left shoulder for six. He was at it again off his seventh delivery, launching Tongue into the stands over wide long-on.
With no real spin on offer and the field up, Will Jacks must have feared what was in store for him but instead got the better of the youngster. Charging down the track, Sooryavanshi lost his balance as he tried to a club a flat, leg-stump delivery off his pads to leave Jos Buttler a simple stumping.
While the Sooryavanshi show played out, Abishek Sharma was busy hammering the lion’s share of a 50-run stand. In a near replay of the previous match in Durham, he was beginning to look untouchable when the introduction of Sam Curran forced the error, albeit with a low full toss that was pumped straight to deep midwicket to cut Abishek short on 43.
Curran picked up two more, the dangerous Ishan Kishan for 49 and Shivam Dube for five, and could have improved on figures of three for 33 had Archer’s attempted catch off Tilak Verma not been ruled out.
England’s innings came unstuck immediately, Arshdeep Singh getting openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler caught for ducks in the first over of the chase.
Unbowed by the double setback, Harry Brook embarked on a violent counter-attack worth 39 in 15 balls. His salvo included four fours and three powerful sixes in a row as he brought Arshdeep back to earth with a bump.
Needing 49 from 24 balls as the end game loomed, England were still second favourites until Bishnoi fell apart and Bethell cashed in ruthlessly in the 17th.
Archer provided a surprisingly calm finishing partner after Jacks fell lbw, snuffing out any remaining nerves to hit the winning runs six balls ahead of time.
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