England Edge India as Jacob Bethell Spoils Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Big Day

The young England all-rounder, Jacob Bethel, produced a brilliant performance with the bat and guided his team to a brilliant win over India in the second T20 international by four wickets. Before the match started all the spotlight was on the 15-year-old teenage sensation, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as he made his much-awaited debut for India at Old Trafford.

The young left-hander, Sooryavanshi, the leading run scorer in IPL 2026 season, hit two sixes in his 10-ball innings where he hit 14 runs. But it was Bethell who stole the show as England successfully chased down the target of 191 runs with six balls to spare.

The 22-year-old Bethell played an incredible innings and hit an unbeaten 76 runs from 46 balls, including five sixes. Earlier Sam Curran produced a great spell and restricted India to an under par score and picked three wickets for 33. It is his best figures in England in a T20 international.

Old Trafford was chosen as the big stage for Sooryavanshi’s unveiling replacing Sanju Samson at the top as he became India’s youngest cricketer at 15 years 99 days, breaking the long-standing record of Sachin Tendulkar.

He faced his first ball in international cricket from England fast bowler, Josh Tongue, which beat him outside off stump. The third ball of his innings was a wide down the leg and it went for a four. He scored his first international run off the four ball via thick inside edge.

In the next over, he faced a bigger challenge in the form of the express pace of Jofra Archer on a surface that had some quick bounce and movement. But the teenager showed no signs of fear at all, he went down on one knee and flicked Archer over the fine leg boundary for a six.

In the very next over, off the first ball from Tongue, he hoisted a length ball and deposited it into the crowd for another six, drawing huge cheer and applause from the crowd and his teammates from the dug out.

England captain, Harry Brook quickly turned to the spin of Will Jack, and it proved to be Sooryavanshi’s undoing. He advanced down the track to hit Jacks for a six over the off side, but got beaten and wicket keeper Jos Butler did rest, whipping off the bails to dismiss him and ending his short but entertaining debut innings.

For India, Ishan Kishan top-scored with 49 runs and captain Shreyas Iyeer made a useful contribution to the team’s total with 37 runs and Tilak Varma gave the team some late impetus as he scored 24 off 11 balls, including two sixes of consecutive ball in the final over by Archer.

While coming into bat, England had a disastrous start, as Arshdeep Singh dismissed both English openers - Phil Salt and Jos Butler for knots in the first over itself. But as Harry Brooks walked-in, he immediately took the attack to India and hit Arsheed for three sixes in his next over, before losing his wicket to Axar Patel and becoming his 100th wicket in the T20I format.

Arshdeep Singh returned later to break the dangerous partnership between Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton. But Bethell held his nerve, and turned the game upside down in England’s favour by hitting Ravi Bishnoi for two sixes off backfoot no balls. Bethell along with Sam Curran guided England across the line for their first win of the series.

The third T20I of the series is scheduled for Tuesday at the Trent Bridge.