India teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may not have enjoyed the dream debut he had hoped for, but he earned praise from England’s match-winner Jacob Bethell after the second T20I in Manchester on Saturday.15-year-old Sooryavanshi became India’s youngest T20I debutant when he was selected for the second match against England. Although he managed just 14 runs, the left-hander showcased his talent with two sixes before he failed.After England’s four-wicket win, Bethell said he has been following Sooryavanshi’s progress and believes the youngster has a bright future.“Yeah. It’s weird to say I’m playing with someone who’s seven years younger than me, but, yeah, you know, I’ve seen him bat in India. I look at him, you know, now, the swing and everything is pure. So, yeah, he’s an incredible talent,” Bethell said.
India’s youngest T20I debutant
At 15 years, 3 months and 7 days, Sooryavanshi broke Shafali Verma’s record to become India’s youngest international debutant.The Bihar youngster earned his India call after a sensational IPL season with Rajasthan Royals, where he scored 776 runs in 16 games, including a century and five fifties. He also broke Chris Gayle’s record for the most sixes in an IPL season.His international debut, however, ended quietly as he scored 14 before being stumped. He later took his first international catch on the boundary during England’s chase.
Bethell led England’s pursuit
While Sooryavanshi’s debut got a lot of attention, it was Bethell who stole the show with an unbeaten 76 that guided England to a four-wicket victory while chasing 191. The hosts achieved the goal with a lead to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.Bethell said that performing against one of the strongest bowling attacks in the world made the innings more satisfying.“I really enjoyed the semi-final (2026 T20 World Cup), even if we didn’t get over the line. They are a highly skilled attack, it’s just that I played them on two nice pitches. And, yes, you want to do well against the best teams in the world. So, yes, it’s very gratifying to do it,” he said.England were in trouble at 1/2 before Harry Brook’s aggressive 39 off 15 balls changed the momentum. Bethell then established important partnerships, most notably with Tom Banton, to continue the pursuit.“It worked out well at the end, but just going into the at bat two down, Brooky set the tone really well there. He gave the momentum back to them … In those chases, you’re not going fast the whole time, but a couple of big overs and then the game swings,” Bethell said.
Bishnoi’s cost to change the game
The decisive moment came in the 17th over when Ravi Bishnoi conceded 29 runs, including two no-balls which gave England two free-hits.Bethell admits England changed its approach after the freebies.“If I’m honest, I probably aimed more at the other end… But when you have a couple of free hits and then the bowler falls, you try and get him. So, yeah, that all worked out pretty well,” he said.Bethell also said England’s batsmen have adapted well to different boundary sizes instead of focusing only on the shorter side.“One side might find it easier to hit sixes, but you can also score the same number of runs by hitting bigger gaps. It’s just about being smart about that. I think as a batting group, we’re very good at that,” he added.Despite the loss, Sooryavanshi’s debut remains one of the game’s biggest talking points, with Bethell’s glowing praise highlighting the excitement surrounding India’s latest teenage sensation.