Manchester: Indian cricket witnessed a historic moment on Saturday as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to represent the country in men’s international cricket after being named in the playing XI for the second T20 International against England at Old Trafford.
The milestone came after India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bat first. Sooryavanshi was handed his maiden international cap by Tilak Varma, replacing Sanju Samson, who had struggled for runs with scores of 5, 0 and 1 in his last three innings.
With his debut, Sooryavanshi eclipsed the long-standing record of batting legend Sachin Tendulkar to become the youngest male cricketer to play for India at the international level.
Speaking at the toss, Iyer said the teenager had earned his opportunity through consistent performances over the past few months and praised his calm temperament.
“He completely deserves it. The way he has performed over the last couple of months has been outstanding. He doesn’t take pressure, and you can see in the dressing room that he has an unflinching nature,” the India skipper said.
Sooryavanshi had emerged as one of India’s brightest young prospects following an impressive Indian Premier League campaign. Although the team management had initially resisted calls to include him in the national side, leaving him out of two T20Is in Belfast and the series opener against England, they eventually rewarded his performances with a place in the XI.
The young opener is expected to begin India’s innings on a batting-friendly Old Trafford surface that has produced high-scoring matches in recent years. The venue witnessed England amass 304 for 2 against South Africa in a T20I last year, although overcast and breezy conditions prevailed before the start of Saturday’s match.
England, led by Harry Brook, made two changes to the side that featured in the rain-affected opening T20I. Jofra Archer returned to the playing XI, while fast bowler Josh Tongue made his T20I debut. The pair replaced Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood.
Brook backed the team’s selections and said England had prepared tactical plans to counter India’s teenage sensation while stressing that execution would be the key.
Playing XIs
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (capt), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue.
India: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (capt), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy.
