Tilak Varma passes historic Indian debut cap to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – Watch

After much anticipation and a delay that seemed longer than it was, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finally made his India debut on Saturday, becoming the youngest player to represent the country in international cricket when he took the field in the second T20I against England at Old Trafford in Manchester.The 15-year-old was handed his first India cap by Tilak Varma before the toss and was all smiles as he prepared to make his first international appearance.With his debut, Sooryavanshi broke the long-standing record held by batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut for India against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 205 days.India captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the youngster’s inclusion in the draw, with Sooryavanshi replacing Sanju Samson in the playing eleven.“We will bat first again. We have one change. Vaibhav comes in for Sanju,” India captain Shreyas Iyer said at the toss.Iyer said Sooryavanshi deserved his opportunity and appreciated the teenager’s attitude.“I feel he totally deserves to be in the squad. He is someone who does not push at all. He has a steadfast nature. He is very aware of what is coming in these upcoming matches. The way he bats the nets and takes on the bowlers shows the kind of player he is,” Iyer added.Sooryavanshi forced his way into the national team after his performances in IPL 2026. While playing for Rajasthan Royals, he finished as the tournament’s top scorer with 776 runs at a strike rate of 230. He also won the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards.Teams:India (Playing XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun ChakaravarthyEngland (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue