After much anticipation and a delay which felt longer than it was, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finally made his India debut on Saturday, becoming the youngest player to represent the country in international cricket when he took the field in the second T20I against England at Old Trafford in Manchester.The 15-year-old received his maiden 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 a long-standing record held by batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his India debut against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 205 days.India captain Shreyas Iyer confirmed the youngster’s inclusion at the toss, with Sooryavanshi replacing Sanju Samson in the playing XI.“We’ll bat first again. We’ve got one change. Vaibhav comes in for Sanju,” India captain Shreyas Iyer said at the toss.Iyer said Sooryavanshi had earned his opportunity and praised the teenager’s approach.“I feel that he completely deserves to be in the squad. He’s someone who doesn’t take pressure at all. Has an unflinching nature. He’s very well aware of what’s going to come in these coming matches. The way he bats in the nets and takes on the bowlers, shows what kind of player he is,” Iyer added.Sooryavanshi forced his way into the national side after his performances in IPL 2026. Playing for Rajasthan Royals, he finished as the tournament’s highest run-scorer with 776 runs at a strike rate of 230. He also won the Most Valuable Player and Emerging Player awards.Teams:India (Playing XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun ChakaravarthyEngland (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue
