Jacob Bethell Stars As England Hand T20 Champions Third Straight Defeat In Sooryavanshi’s Debut

England’s batting sensation Jacob Bethell once again emerged as India’s biggest hurdle, smashing.

An unbeaten 76 to guide the hosts to a four-wicket victory in the second T20I at Old Trafford on Saturday. The win handed the reigning T20 champions a third consecutive defeat and gave England a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after the opener was washed out.

The match was expected to mark the arrival of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who became the youngest cricketer to represent India in international cricket, eclipsing Shafali Verma’s overall record and Sachin Tendulkar’s milestone among Indian men. Drafted in place of Sanju Samson, the teenage opener made an entertaining start, striking two sixes before being stumped by Will Jacks for 14 off 10 balls.

Opening alongside Abhishek Sharma, Sooryavanshi helped India race to 50 in just 4.5 overs after Shreyas Iyer opted to bat first. Abhishek overcame an early examination from Jofra Archer’s pace to score a brisk 43 off 24 deliveries before falling on the final ball of the powerplay, leaving India at 65/2.

England gradually tightened their grip as the pitch began offering extra grip and uneven bounce. Shreyas Iyer compiled a fluent 37, while Ishan Kishan anchored the middle overs with a determined 49 during a 65-run partnership. However, India’s scoring rate dipped as boundaries became difficult to find.

Sam Curran was England’s standout bowler, returning figures of 3/33 with clever variations, while Will Jacks, Liam Dawson and Archer picked up a wicket each.

India looked set for a below-par total before Tilak Varma produced a late surge. The left-hander hammered an unbeaten 24 off only 11 balls, collecting 17 runs from the final over against Archer as India finished on a competitive 190/7 after scoring 23 runs from the last seven deliveries.

Bethell Anchors England’s Chase

England’s reply got off to a nightmare start when Arshdeep Singh removed both Phil Salt and Jos Buttler in a sensational opening over.

Harry Brook immediately shifted the momentum, taking Arshdeep apart for 27 runs in his next over with three sixes and two boundaries. The aggressive counterattack put England back on course before Axar Patel dismissed Brook for 39, finishing with an impressive spell of 1/20 in four overs.

By then, Jacob Bethell had settled into his innings. The left-hander stitched together a vital 67-run partnership with Tom Banton, keeping England firmly in command despite India’s attempts to fight back.

On a surface that increasingly favoured spin, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy struggled to apply sustained pressure. Apart from Axar, India’s spin attack failed to contain Bethell, whose composed strokeplay kept the required rate under control. Chakravarthy removed Will Jacks late in the innings, while Arshdeep returned for another spell, but England never allowed the game to drift away.

Bethell remained unbeaten on 76 from 46 balls, hitting five fours and five sixes to steer England to victory with an over to spare. His match-winning knock gave the hosts a 1-0 series lead and extended India’s losing streak to three T20Is under new captain Shreyas Iyer, following the recent whitewash against Ireland.

India will look to level the series when the third T20I is played in Nottingham on Tuesday, July 7.