Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry photo)
Indian teenager Vaibhav Suryavanshi may not have enjoyed the debut he had dreamed of, 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-ever T20I player when he was selected for the second ODI against England. Although he managed just 14 runs, the left-hander showed glimpses of his talent with two sixes before stumbling.
After England’s four-wicket win, Bethell said he was following Sooryavanshi’s progress and believes the youngster has a bright future.“Yes. It is strange to say that I am playing against someone seven years younger than me, but yes, you know, I watched him bat in India.
I watched him, you know, today, and he’s swinging and everything is pure. “Yes, he’s an unbelievable talent,” Bethel said.
India’s youngest T20I debutant
At the age of 15 years, 3 months and 7 days, Sooryavanshi broke Shafali Verma’s record by becoming the youngest Indian player to make his international debut.The Bihar youngster earned his call-up to the Indian national team after a sensational season in the Indian Premier League with Rajasthan Royals, where he scored 776 runs in 16 matches, including a century and five fifties.
He also broke Chris Gayle’s record for the most number of sixes in a single IPL season.
However, his international debut ended quietly as he scored 14 goals before faltering. He later got his first international catch on the border during England’s chase.
Bethel leads England’s chase
While Sooryavanshi’s debut attracted a lot of attention, it was Bethell who stole the show with an unbeaten 76 and led England to a four-wicket win while chasing 191.
The hosts got there before taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.Bethell said the performance against one of the world’s most powerful bowling attacks made the innings even more satisfying.“I really enjoyed the semi-final (of the 2026 T20 World Cup), even though we couldn’t get over the line. They are a high-flying attack, but I played with them on two very nice pitches. And yes, you want to do well against the best teams in the world.”
So, yeah, it’s a real pleasure to do it.”England were in trouble at 1/2 before Harry Brook’s aggressive 39 off 15 balls changed the momentum. Bethell then built important partnerships, especially with Tom Banton, to keep the chase on track.“It worked out well in the end, but once he got into the second at-bat, Brockie set the tone really well there. He flipped the momentum right back on them… everyone just kept getting involved.”
“In this type of chase, it’s not going very fast all the time, but there are a couple of big overtakes and then the game swings,” Bethell said.
Bishnoi’s extravagant finish is a game-changer
The decisive moment came in the 17th over when Ravi Bishnoi conceded 29 runs, including two no-balls that gave England two free hits.Bethel admitted England changed their approach after the freebies.“If I was honest, I probably would have targeted the other end more… but when there are a few free kicks and then the player goes down, you try to finish him off.
So, yeah, it all went really well.”Bethell also said that the English batsmen have adapted well to the different boundary sizes rather than focusing solely on the shorter side.He added: “It might be easier for one side to kick a six, but you can also score the same amount of runs by hitting into the bigger gaps. It was just about being smart about it. I thought as a batting group, we were really good at that.”Despite the defeat, Suryavanshi’s debut remained one of the biggest talking points of the match, with Bethel’s glowing praise highlighting the excitement surrounding India’s newest teenage sensation.