Up-and-coming Indian cricket ace Vaibhav Sooryavanshi capped at age 15

At 15 years and 99 days, the left-handed opener broke the record set by Sachin Tendulkar when he played at 16 years and 205 days.

Published Jul 07, 2026  •  4 minute read

India's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi throws the ball in from the boundary during the second Twenty20 (T20) international cricket match between England and India. Getty Images

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A boisterous and partisan crowd jammed Old Trafford — the cricket stadium, not Manchester United’s famed soccer home — once news got out that teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was to earn his first cap for India.

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At 15 years and 99 days, the left-handed opener broke the record set by the great Sachin Tendulkar when he played a Test against Pakistan at 16 years and 205 days in 1989.

The crowd cheered lustily when the youngster strode to the wicket but unfortunately his stay was short and sweet. He made 14 off 10 balls in India’s 190 for seven, but in that short stay he still showed why he has captured the hearts of the cricketing world with his thrilling stroke play.

It was all about the youngster in the recently concluded Indian Premier League as he thrilled them with his audacious play and, although his stint at Old Trafford was short, he gave them a glimpse of what to expect in the future.

He whipped the first ball from England paceman Jofra Archer for a mighty six with a shot over his shoulder. The crowd went wild. In the next over, he deposited the other fast bowler Josh Tongue for another six and the fans were in raptures.

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After the pace attack rested, spinner Will Jacks was introduced and he delivered a flatter ball that snared Sooryavanshi. The Indian opener stepped out to clobber the spinner, he missed and was stumped, with groans emanating from the grandstands.

India posted 190 for seven thanks to Ishan Kishan making a superb 49, Abhishek Sharma (43) and Shreyas Iyer hitting 37. It was not a demanding total despite India plundering 23 off the last seven balls before paceman Sam Curran (three for 33) kept the visitors in check.

It was then the turn of England’s very own young star to take centre stage. The 22-year-old Jacob Bethell took over from where Sooryavanshi left off with a breathtaking 76 from 46 balls to propel England to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

The highlight of Bethell’s knock came near the tail end of the innings when the home team needed 49 off the final four overs. Bethell showed his batting prowess by taking leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi to the cleaners. He hammered three sixes as England posted 29 runs off that 17th over and went on to win with one over to spare. England got superb knocks from skipper Harry Brooks who weighed in with 39 off 15 balls and Tom Banton who made 39 off 32 balls.

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CANADA BACK TRAINING

Canada’s national squad resumed training on Sunday for the coming crucial ICC Cricket World League qualifiers. Canada travels to Scotland to take on the host nation and the United Arab Republic in August and follows that up with another set of matches versus host nation Oman and Nepal.

Canada requires to win at least five of the remaining fixtures to stay in the hunt for its continuation of its ODI status. Also, a spot in the next World Cup is at stake.

Coach Monty Desai is back with the 15-man squad following a break after the previous series versus the United States and The Netherlands at King City.

Meanwhile, Cricket Canada president Arvinder Khosa has put fears of the GT20 not taking place at Brampton’s CAA Centre this year to rest. There was some confusion that the six-team NCL tournament to be run by businessman Arun Agarwal had been halted after he received a letter from Cricket Canada terminating its deal with him.

Last week Khosa said “for the good of the game in Canada the NCL will join forces with the World International League T20 (ILT20) to stage the tournament.”

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I had mistakenly attributed the quote to Agarwal and that was a mistake.

Meanwhile, Atul Aujla — a former Chief Executive Officer of Cricket Canada — has contacted ICC about forming a rival body to Cricket Canada and is still waiting to hear back from it.

AFGHAN GREAT DIES

Former Afghanistan international star Shapoor Zadran, who played in Canada on several occasions, passed away in New Delhi on Tuesday at the age of 38.

The 6-foot-2 paceman had been undergoing treatment at a hospital in New Delhi and had been diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and potentially fatal condition that attacks the immune system.

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   Canada's new cricket coach Monty Desai injects life into national squad

Known for his height, long hair and fast bowling, Zadran played in 44 ODIs and 36 T20 matches for his country between 2009 and 2020, taking 80 wickets.

AUSSIE WOMEN ON TOP

Australia’s women have done it again. The Aussies lifted the Women’s T20 World Cup for the seventh time in the 10 times it has played in the competition.

It defeated England by seven wickets in the final played at Lord’s.

The star of the final was opener Beth Mooney who scored 64 off 49 balls as the Aussies passed its target after it had restricted England to 150 for four.

Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis.

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