Jacob Bethell’s composed, unbeaten 76 led England to a Twenty20 victory over India, with the 22-year-old outshining 15-year-old debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Sooryavanshi, who became India’s youngest ever international just 99 days after his 15th birthday, briefly lit up the match at Old Trafford. His ability to hit boundary sixes is notable, having previously broken an Indian Premier League record for the most sixes (65) in an innings, a record that stood since 2012.
After a hesitant start against fellow debutant Josh Tongue, Sooryavanshi showcased his potential by flicking a 90 mph delivery from Jofra Archer for six. He was eventually dismissed for 14 off 10 balls, lured out of his ground by Will Jacks' off-spin and stumped by Jos Buttler.
India had reached 50 by the time Sooryavanshi was out. Abhishek Sharma contributed significantly, but India’s momentum stalled when he was dismissed. Sam Curran took three wickets for 33 runs, restricting India to 190 for seven after they had been 130 for two.
England’s chase began poorly with Phil Salt and Jos Buttler falling in the first over. However, Bethell, who had scored an unbeaten 76, partnered with Harry Brook (39 off 15 balls) and Phil Salt (39 off 32 balls) in crucial stands. Bethell took control when 49 runs were needed off 24 deliveries, hitting two sixes in an over that yielded 29 runs. England reached their target with six balls remaining.
Bethell described the innings as potentially his best for England, especially given the history between the two nations. England now leads the series 1-0.