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.
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