Just 99 days after his 15th birthday, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi poached one of the great Sachin Tendulkar’s records on Saturday – becoming India’s youngest ever international.
Whatever else the extraordinary Sooryavanshi adds to his statistical career CV, history will show that his first innings on the biggest stage briefly lit up Manchester’s mushroom sky before his enthusiasm for entertainment got the better of him.
At 22, Jacob Bethell is a veteran by comparison, and it was his composed, unbeaten 76 that consigned Sooryavanshi to debut defeat and broke India’s hold over England. Bethell’s hundred in March’s Twenty20 World Cup semi-final got England to within seven runs but was their sixth in seven fixtures between the two countries.
‘It feels weird to say that I am playing against someone who is seven years younger than me, but his swing is pure and he’s an unbelievable talent,’ Bethell said.
There was a touch of awkwardness about the occasion. Sanju Samson was player of the tournament as India won the Twenty20 World Cup less than four months ago, piling up 321 runs at an average of 80.25 and an imposing strike rate of 199.37, yet felt the full force of the axe three international matches later.
Even the cap presentation was clunky, as the teenager couldn’t get it to fit over his curly locks. Then, after India’s new No 3 emerged from his own changing room due to UK safeguarding regulations, his first two strokes, off the bowling of fellow debutant Josh Tongue, were full of fresh air. But after scrambling a single off his third legitimate delivery, he showed a global audience what all the fuss has been about.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (right) was dismissed by Will Jacks (left) on his India debut at 15
The youngster is already one of the best ball-strikers in the world but fell for 14
Sooryavanshi’s ability to clear boundary ropes isn’t just simply good amongst the world’s up-and-coming players, it is already top amongst all-comers, as highlighted when he broke an Indian Premier League record almost as old as him earlier this year, raising the bar of 59 set by Chris Gayle in 2012 to 65.
The best sportsmen, they say, always look different somehow and this was certainly the case when, after a quiet couple of opening overs, the teenager audaciously flicked his first six in Indian colours off Rajasthan Royals team-mate Jofra Archer: rocking his weight forward and then back to deposit a 90-mile-per-hour delivery over his shoulder and into the seats in front of Old Trafford’s red-brick pavilion.
Tongue was then eased into the crowd at deep midwicket, before a clever change of pace suckered Sooryavanshi for a 10-ball 14. Lured out of his ground by Will Jacks’ off spin, Jos Buttler did the rest.
India had 50 on the board by that stage, though, with Abhishek Sharma, the world’s No 2-ranked T20 batsman savaging England’s attack after facing five dot balls in the returning Jofra Archer’s opening over.
But on a ground upon which England piled up 304 for two against South Africa on their last visit here last September – the biggest between two Test-playing nations – momentum was stymied when Abhishek helicoptered a low full toss to deep midwicket.
Sam Curran had conceded 15 runs off his first five deliveries, but seized on the gimme to finish up with figures of three for 33 – his best in home T20 internationals – to limit India, who had been 130 for two to 190 for seven, a run more than they posted in the abandoned opening game of the series at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.
England’s chase got off to the worst possible start when Phil Salt and Jos Buttler fell in the opening over, but Bethell joined Brook with more wickets than runs on the board, and initially sat and watched from the non-striker’s end.
Bethell played second fiddle in back-to-back half century stands with Brook (39 off 15) and Banton (39 off 32), before making the decisive move when leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi was reintroduced with 49 runs required off 24 deliveries.
Jacob Bethell celebrates hitting the winning runs for England at Old Trafford
England’s vice-captain had 42 off 36 at that stage, but altered the dynamic of the contest by hitting two free hits for six in an over that cost 29, easing his team home with six balls unused.
‘There’s nothing sweeter as a batter than walking off unbeaten with a win,’ Bethell said, nominating this innings as potentially his best in an England shirt.
‘I’ve scored a few hundreds, but only one was in a winning cause, whereas I’m all smiles, we’ve gone 1-0 up in the series and there’s a few scars against India, so it’s nice to get one over on them.’
