Vaibhav Sooryavanshi created history as India were defeated by England in the second T20I of the five-match series at Old Trafford in Manchester. He smashed the record of Sachin Tendulkar to become the youngest cricketer to make his international debut for Team India, at just 15 years and 99 days old. However, he is definitely not the youngest player to make his debut in international cricket, even at such a young age. In fact, there are younger players who have made their debut, with one making their first appearance as early as 12.
Pakistan’s female cricketer Sajjida Shah made her international debut at just 12 years and 171 days old in an ODI against Ireland on July 23, 2000. This makes her the youngest cricketer to make her international debut.
Amongst male cricketers, the record for the youngest player to make his debut is Marian Gherasim of Romania who debuted at 14 years and 16 days old. Amongst full member nations, the record for the youngest debutant belongs to Pakistan batsman Hasan Raza, who was 14 years 227 days old when he debuted in 1996 against Zimbabwe.
England Defeat India, Take 1-0 Lead
In a thrilling contest at Old Trafford, England bounced back to beat India by four wickets and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
India, batting first, posted a competitive 190/7. The match saw 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi make history as India’s youngest international debutant. Abhishek Sharma (43 off 24) provided a flying start, while Ishan Kishan (49) and skipper Shreyas Iyer (37) built a solid middle-order partnership. However, Sam Curran’s excellent spell of 3/33 restricted India from crossing the 200-run mark, despite a late 24-run cameo from Tilak Varma.
Chasing 191, England suffered a massive early blow as Arshdeep Singh dismissed both openers, Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, for ducks in the very first over. Captain Harry Brook quickly counter-attacked with a blistering 39 off 15 balls to get the innings back on track. The star of the night, however, was Jacob Bethell, who played a mature and match-winning knock of 76 not out off 46 balls. Taking advantage of a crucial 29-run over from Ravi Bishnoi, Bethell ensured England comfortably chased the target with an over to spare.
