Indian youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may not have enjoyed the dream he was hoping for, but he was hailed by England’s match-winner. Jacob in Bethel after the second T20I in Manchester on Saturday.Sooryavanshi, 15, became India’s debutant in T20Is when he was selected in the second match against England. Despite managing just 14 runs, the left-hander showed his mettle with two sixes before being stumped.After the four-wicket win in England, Bethell said he has been following Sooryavanshi’s progress and believes the youngster has a bright future.“Yeah. It’s weird to say that I’m playing with someone seven years younger than me, but, yeah, you know, I saw him bat in India. I looked at him, you know, today, shaking and everything is white. So, yeah, he’s an incredible talent,” Bethell said.
India’s youngest T20I debutant
At the age of 15 years, 3 months and 7 days, Sooryavanshi broke Shafali Verma’s record to become India’s first international.The youngster from Bihar was called up to India after an impressive IPL season with Rajasthan Royals, where he scored 776 runs in 16 matches, including one hundred and fifty. He also broke Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a single IPL season.His international debut, however, ended quietly as he scored 14 before stumbling. He later took his first international hat-trick in a boundary chase against England.
Bethell leads England
While Sooryavanshi’s debut attracted much attention, it was Bethell who stole the show with an unbeaten 76 that led England to a four-wicket victory while chasing 191. The Warriors climaxed with a flurry to take a 1-0 lead in the five-game series.Bethell said playing against one of the fastest pacers in the world made the innings more satisfying.“I really enjoyed the semi-final (2026 T20 World Cup), even though we couldn’t cross the line. They are very talented fighters, just because I have played them in two very good stages. And, yeah, you want to do well against the best teams in the world. So, yes, it’s fun to do that,” he said.England were in trouble at 1/2 before Harry Brook’s furious 39 off 15 balls turned things around. Bethell then built important partnerships, most notably with Tom Banton, to continue to drive people away.“In the end it worked out, but with only two hits, Brooky played really well. He turned the tide on them…everyone was just getting into it. In a chase like this, you’re not going fast all the time, but a couple of big overs and then the game changes,” Bethell said.
Bishnoi prices are changing the game
The deciding moment came in the 17th over when Ravi Bishnoi conceded 29 runs, including two no-balls which gave England two free runs.Bethell admitted that England changed their style after the free.“To be honest, I probably would have gone the other way… But when there’s a couple of free throws and then a low shooter, you try to get him. So, yes, everything went well,” he said.Bethell also said that England’s batsmen had become accustomed to different boundary sizes rather than focusing on the short side.“On the one hand it would be easy to hit sixes, but you can also calculate the amount of runs there by hitting in the big gaps. It was just smart with that. I thought as a batting team, we were very good at that,” he added.Despite the defeat, Sooryavanshi’s debut remained one of the biggest talking points in the game, with Bethell’s glowing praise reflecting the excitement that is happening in India for young people.
