Jacob Bethell breaks Indian hearts in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s historic debut; England lead 1-0

Jacob Bethell of England bats during the 2nd T20I between England and India at Old Trafford on July 4, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo/Getty Images) In the pre-match spotlight was Indian teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was making his international debut. But at the end of the match, it was England’s Jacob Bethell who stole the show and led his team to a four-wicket win over the world champions in the second T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester.Bethell’s unbeaten 76 off 46 balls helped England chase down 191 with a margin to spare as the hosts won the second match of the five-match series by four wickets on Saturday. The left-hander hit five sixes and five fours to lead the chase after England lost both openers, Phil Salt and captain Jose Buttler, for ducks in the very first match with Arshdeep Singh.Harry Brook then struck with a quickfire 39 to steady England before Bethell and Tom Banton, who also made 39, rebuilt the innings through key partnerships.Bethell stepped up at the right time and took full advantage of Ravi Bishnoi’s error. During the chase, he stepped on his foot three times, twice in the 17th run. The 29 runs conceded by Ravi Bishnoi in the 17th over was the third most by an Indian bowler in an over in T20Is, after Shivam Dube’s 34 vs New Zealand in 2020 and Stuart Binny’s 32 vs West Indies in 2016.India seemed to be in control for most of the innings, especially after Axar Patel’s four-over spell cost just 20 runs and yielded one wicket. However, Bishnoi’s spell proved costly as he finished with figures of 0 for 60 in four overs, allowing England to regain control.With the opening match over, England now lead the series 1-0 with three matches remaining.Earlier, India posted 190 for seven after being asked to bat.The match marked Sooryavanshi’s international debut as he became India’s youngest international cricketer at the age of 15 years and 99 days, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record.The teenager scored 14 off 10 balls, hitting two sixes before being dismissed.Abhishek Sharma got India off to a flying start with 43 off 24 balls, while Ishan Kishan made 49 off 40. Captain Shreyas Iyer added 37 off 22, with Kishan and Iyer putting on 65 runs for the third wicket.Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 24 off 11 deliveries to take India to a competitive total.For England, left-arm pacer Sam Curran was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 33.Short Score:India 190/7 in 20 overs (Abhishek Sharma 43, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 14, Shreyas Iyer 37, Ishan Kishan 49, Tilak Varma 24 not out; Sam Curran 3/33); lost with England 191/6 in 19 overs (Harry Brook 39, Jacob Bethell 76 not out, Tom Banton 39; Arshdeep Singh 3/40).