After much anticipation and a delay that felt longer than it actually was, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finally made his India debut in the second T20I against England at Manchester’s Old Trafford on Saturday, becoming the youngest player to represent India in international cricket.The 15-year-old received his first India cap from Tilak Varma before the toss and was all smiles as he prepared for his first international appearance.With his debut, Sooryavanshi broke the long-standing record held by the batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut for India against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 205 days.India captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the youngster’s eligibility, with Sooryavanshi replacing Sanju Samson in the squad.“We will bat first again. We have a change. Vaibhav comes in instead of Sanju,” India captain Shreyas Iyer said at the toss.Iyer said Suryavanshi earned his chance and praised the teenager for his approach.“I feel he totally deserves to be in the team. He is someone who does not take pressure at all. Has a determined nature. He knows very well what is going to happen in the coming matches. The way he hits the net and takes on the bowlers shows the kind of player he is,” Iyer added.Sooryavanshi forced his way into the national team after his performance in IPL 2026. While playing for Rajasthan Royals, he became the highest scorer of the tournament with 776 runs and a strike rate of 230 runs. He also won the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards. team:India (Starting Lineup): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun ChakaravarthyEngland (starting lineup): Philip Salter, Jos Butler (w), Harry Brooker (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tonge
