Bethell stars as England beat India by four wickets to take 1-0 lead in T20I series

The opening match was washed out.

England's Jacob Bethell hits a six during the second T20 cricket match between England and India in Manchester, England(Photo: AP)

Updated on:

04 Jul 2026, 5:32 pm

MANCHESTER: England defeated India by four wickets, riding on an unbeaten 76 from Jacob Bethell to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, here on Saturday.

The opening match was washed out.

Bethell smashed five sixes and five fours in his 46-ball knock as England chased down the target of 191 in 19 overs.

England were jolted early when India's left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh dismissed both openers -- Phil Salt and Jos Buttler -- for ducks in a sensational opening spell.

However, Harry Brook (39), Bethell and Tom Banton (39) rebuilt the innings through crucial partnerships before steering the hosts to victory.

Earlier, India posted a competitive 190/7 as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his much-awaited international debut, while openers Abhishek Sharma (43 off 24 balls) and Ishan Kishan (49 off 40 balls) led the batting effort.

Sooryavanshi became India's youngest international debutant at 15 years and 99 days, breaking Sachin Tendulkar's long-standing record, but his debut did not go as planned as he managed 14 off 10 balls, including two sixes.