In the third T20I clash against England, there were high expectations for 15-year-old batsman Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to deliver a commanding performance. Unfortunately, his time at the crease at Trent Bridge was short-lived. Despite attempting a few aggressive shots, he was unable to withstand the blistering pace and calculated strategy employed by Jofra Archer. Sooryavanshi was dismissed after contributing only 13 runs to the team total.
The dismissal of Vaibhav
Having scored 14 runs in his previous T20I appearance at Manchester, Sooryavanshi fell one run short of that total this time. His innings was brought to a close by his Rajasthan Royals teammate, Jofra Archer. Archer utilized a sharp, high-velocity bouncer that caught the young batter off guard. Sooryavanshi was slightly late on his pull shot, and the ball grazed the edge of his bat, travelling safely into the hands of wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
The duel began with Archer bowling a bouncer clocked at 144 kilometers per hour, which Sooryavanshi missed. He followed this with a short ball outside off-stump, which the youngster dispatched for a six over third man. He also managed to collect four runs and a single against Josh Tongue. However, when Archer returned for his next spell in the third over, he unleashed a precise bouncer on the leg stump. Sooryavanshi attempted the pull shot once again, only to end up offering a catch.
Top-order collapse during powerplay
Before Sooryavanshi's departure, Josh Tongue had already removed Abhishek Sharma from the crease. Tongue continued his momentum by picking up the wicket of Ishan Kishan. The situation worsened when Archer dismantled the middle order by dismissing captain Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel in the same over. Within just five overs, India had slumped to a precarious position, losing five wickets for 52 runs.
The final over of the powerplay further exposed the struggles of the Indian batting unit. Will Jacks bowled a tight final over, conceding only two runs. By the end of six overs, India stood at 54/5. This collapse marked an unwanted milestone in T20I history, as it was the first time an Indian team had lost their first five wickets within the powerplay overs. The team was eventually bundled out for 76 runs, allowing England to secure a 125-run victory and a 2-0 lead in the series.
