England Beat India in 2nd T20I as Jacob Bethell Stars, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's Debut Ends in Defeat
Jacob Bethell's unbeaten 76 guided England to a four-wicket win over India in the second T20I at Old Trafford. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his much-awaited debut, while India failed to defend 190 despite Arshdeep Singh's brilliant opening spell.
July 05, 2026: All eyes were on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as the 15-year-old opener finally made his long-awaited international debut in the second T20I against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. The young left-hander came in to open the innings alongside Abhishek Sharma after India won the toss and elected to bat first. Although he could not convert his start into a big score, Sooryavanshi showed glimpses of his immense talent by striking towering sixes off Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue. His innings came to an end when Will Jacks stumped him for 14 runs off just 10 balls.
Despite losing the young opener early, India maintained an aggressive approach during the powerplay. Abhishek Sharma continued to attack the England bowlers and played a fluent knock of 43 runs from only 24 balls. His innings included eight boundaries and one six, giving India a solid platform. After Abhishek's dismissal, captain Shreyas Iyer joined Ishan Kishan in the middle, and the duo ensured that India kept the scoreboard moving.
Shreyas played another effective captain's knock, scoring 37 runs from 22 deliveries with some attractive stroke play. At the other end, Ishan Kishan anchored the innings brilliantly and finished just one run short of a deserved half-century. The left-hander made 49 runs from 40 balls and held the innings together during the middle overs. In the final overs, Tilak Varma provided the late acceleration with an entertaining cameo of 24 runs from just 11 deliveries. Thanks to valuable contributions from the top and middle order, India finished with a competitive total of 190/7 in their 20 overs. For England, Sam Curran was the pick of the bowlers with figures of three wickets, while Jofra Archer, Will Jacks, and Liam Dawson claimed one wicket each.
Jacob Bethell's brilliant knock powers England to victory
England's run chase got off to a nightmare start as Arshdeep Singh produced a sensational opening over. He dismissed Phil Salt with the very first ball of the innings and then removed Jos Buttler before the end of the over. Both England openers were dismissed without scoring, leaving the hosts under tremendous pressure and giving India the perfect start with the ball.
England needed someone to rebuild the innings, and Harry Brook responded with an explosive counterattack. The England captain smashed 39 runs from just 15 deliveries and quickly shifted the momentum. However, Axar Patel provided India with an important breakthrough by dismissing Brook before he could play an even bigger innings. After Brook's departure, Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton took complete control of the chase. The pair added a superb 117-run partnership, mixing sensible batting with aggressive stroke play to put England in a commanding position.
England win by 4 wickets in Manchester#TeamIndia will look to turn things around in the 3rd T20I in Trent Bridge
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/WYfL8tAm58 #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/2KZN6H39DR
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 4, 2026
Just when England looked set for an easy finish, Arshdeep Singh struck once again by dismissing Tom Banton for 39. Soon after, Varun Chakravarthy trapped Will Jacks for only 9 runs to give India a slight hope of making a comeback. However, Ravi Bishnoi's difficult outing with the ball proved costly. The leg-spinner struggled with his line and length, bowled multiple no-balls, and conceded 60 runs in his four overs without taking a wicket. England made full use of the free-hit opportunities and kept the required run rate under control.
Jacob Bethell remained calm throughout the chase and played another memorable innings against India. The left-hander, who had scored a century against India in the T20 World Cup semi-final but ended up on the losing side, made sure history did not repeat itself. He remained unbeaten on 76 runs from 46 deliveries and guided England to a comfortable four-wicket victory with one over to spare. His outstanding innings helped England take the lead in the T20I series, while India and head coach Gautam Gambhir will be disappointed after failing to defend a total of 190 despite making the perfect start with the ball.
Brief Scores
- India: 190/7 (Ishan Kishan 49, Abhishek 43, Sam Curran 33/3)
- England: 191/6 (Bethel 76*, Brook 39, Arshdeep 40/3)
- England won by 4 wickets.
