Teen batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finally made his international debut but it turned out to be a forgettable day for the IPL star as England won the second T20 against India in Manchester.
Sooryavanshi, 15, was poised to make his much-awaited international bow during the preceding tour of Ireland but sat out both games which saw double world champions India suffer a shock series whitewash.
The first T20 of the five-match series against England was then washed out, giving India's batters time to adjust to the conditions that generally provide assistance to both fast-bowlers and finger-spinners.
But the visitors, who had played almost exclusively in Asian conditions since the beginning of the year, missed their mark once again in overcast conditions as England restricted Shreyas Iyer's team to 190-7.
Sooryavanshi opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma and hit two sixes before getting stumped off spinner Will Jacks. Abhishek (43 from 24 balls) and captain Iyer (37 from 22) were the only batters who played with any authority in blustery conditions.
Top-scorer Ishan Kishan laboured to 49 from 40 balls, getting close to throwing his wicket away on multiple occasions.
England all-rounder Sam Curran was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 3-33 – his best figures in a T20 international – including the wicket of the in-form Abhishek.
India had a dream start as left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh dismissed Phil Salt and Jos Buttler in the first over.
But from there on, England consolidated. Captain Harry Brook smashed 27 runs from Arshdeep's next over to pile the pressure back on India.
Jacob Bethell then took over after Brook's dismissal, hitting an unbeaten 76 from 46 balls, including five sixes, to guide his team home.
India were still in with a chance until the final four overs with England needing 49 from 24 balls. But leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi lost the plot, bowling two back-foot no balls which allowed Bethell to tear into the bowler.
Bethell took 29 runs from that over as Bishnoi gave away a staggering 60 runs from his quota of four as England chased down the target with four wickets in hand and an over to spare.
India have thus failed to win a match in three outings so far on their tour of Ireland and England, putting additional pressure on new captain Iyer who has to ensure his team maintain their top ranking by the end of the year to guarantee automatic qualification for the 2028 Olympics.
Iyer admitted the disastrous over bowled by Bishnoi did serious damage to the team's chances. “The 17th over back-to-back [free hits] haunted us. He will have to learn ,” said Iyer. “The first 15 overs we were on top of the game but credit where it’s due. I think Jacob was sensational.”
“Sam Curran analysed the dimensions of the ground early on, did not give room to our left-handers.”
England captain Brook praised Bethell, who is being seen as a future leader, for his maturity under pressure. “He's an awesome talent out there, rallies the troops well in the field. He's so mature for his age. He's got a long career ahead of him,” Brook said.
Sooryavanshi took Curran's catch in the deep when the target was within sight, to cap a reasonable debut.
The third match of the series takes place in Nottingham on Tuesday.
