India vs England: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Becomes Youngest Cricketer To Make T20I Debut

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has become the youngest cricketer to make a T20I debut. The left-hander was handed his international cap from vice-captain Tilak Verma against England in Manchester on Saturday.. The Rajasthan Royals star opener will be replacing Sanju Samson for the 2nd T20I in Manchester.

At just 15 years old, Sooryavanshi has etched his name into the record books by joining an exclusive group of cricketers from Full Member nations, including Pakistan's Aaqib Javed and Mushtaq Mohammad, who made their international debuts while still teenagers. He is now the third-youngest player from a Full Member nation to debut in international cricket, behind Pakistan's Hasan Raza and Mushtaq Mohammad.

Speaking at the toss, the India T20I captain backed the youngster's selection, saying, "You've seen him over the last few months and the way he's been batting. I don't think there's any doubt-he completely deserves to be in the squad. He's someone who doesn't take pressure at all and has a fearless approach. He's fully aware of what's coming in these upcoming matches. The way he bats in the nets and takes on the bowlers shows the kind of player he is."

Youngest to debut in International cricket (full member teams):

• 14y 227d - Hasan Raza (PAK) vs ZIM, Faisalabad, 1996
• 15y 99d - Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (IND) vs ENG, Manchester, 2026*
• 15y 116d - Mohammad Sharif (BAN) vs ZIM, Harare, 2001
• 15y 124d - Mushtaq Mohammad (PAK) vs WI, Lahore, 1959
• 16y 127d - Aaqib Javed (PAK) vs WI, Adelaide, 1988
• 16y 205d - Sachin Tendulkar (IND) vs PAK, Karachi, 1989

Josh Tongue Makes Debut For England

England have made two changes to the XI they fielded in the previous match. Speedster Jofra Archer returns to the side after being rested, providing a significant boost to the pace attack. Josh Tongue has also been handed his maiden T20I cap and is set to make his international debut in the shortest format.

To accommodate the duo, Luke Wood and Saqib Mahmood have been left out of the playing XI. England will hope Archer's experience and Tongue's fresh energy add greater firepower as they look to strengthen their bowling unit in today's contest.

India vs England: Playing XI

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 Chakaravarthy

England (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