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Young batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was handed his maiden India T20I cap by Tilak Varma ahead of the second T20I against England at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday, July 4. The long-awaited debut ceremony took a memorable turn as the cap turned out to be the wrong size. With the wind sweeping across the ground, the teenager pushed it down as best he could in a moment the cameras caught in full.
The media captured the cap ceremony on video, and the clip spread across cricket social media shortly after. Sooryavanshi was seen struggling with the undersized cap, trying to push it down firmly while the Old Trafford breeze made things harder. He eventually forced it into place, though not before drawing attention from those watching on.
A historic debut regardless of the cap size
The moment carried enormous significance beyond the slight mishap. Sooryavanshi became India’s youngest international cricketer at 15 years and 99 days, surpassing a record Sachin Tendulkar had held since 1989. He is also the youngest T20I debutant in history. The teenager had been part of the touring party for the Ireland series but did not get a game before the management finally handed him his chance at Old Trafford. His journey here has been built on a stellar IPL 2026 season with Rajasthan Royals, where he scored 776 runs including a century and five half-centuries, won the Orange Cap, and claimed four other accolades.
India elect to bat as five-match series gets underway
The second T20I is, in effect, where the series truly begins. The opener at Chester-le-Street was abandoned after rain interrupted India’s innings at 189 for 7, with Abhishek Sharma and skipper Shreyas Iyer both contributing half-centuries. At Old Trafford, Iyer won the toss and chose to bat, sending Sooryavanshi and Sharma to open together. The hosts, led by Harry Brook, brought Jofra Archer back in and handed Josh Tongue his debut. The five-match T20I series continues at Old Trafford later in the week.
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