3 min readJul 4, 2026 08:12 PM IST England had a plan. They may have been in all sorts of turmoil in recent times, but they had done their homework on the youngest-ever cricketer to represent India. “We have some tactical decisions. Just a matter of executing now,” captain Harry Brook said at the toss about their ploy to keep Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in check on his international debut. Sooryavanshi’s debut seemed an inevitability at Manchester, considering the form — or the abject lack of it — of Sanju Samson in the last three matches. Anticipating the move, England had devised a plan against Sooryavanshi. Not that plans always work against the youngster, but today, they did as he only scored a 10-ball 14. England peppered the prodigy with short balls. Every delivery came with a disclaimer: age is of little relevance in the big boys’ club. Sooryavanshi swung and missed the first two deliveries he faced off Josh Tongue. His maiden international run was almost anti-climactic to the build-up: an inside-edged single while trying to …