England claimed a four-wicket victory over India in the second T20I on Saturday, moving ahead 1-0 in the five-match series. Chasing a target of 191, the hosts got there in 19 overs at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, with Jacob Bethell delivering a superb 76 not out off just 46 balls. India had earlier set a challenging total of 190 for seven after choosing to bat. Debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, just fifteen years old, made his long-anticipated international bow but fell for 14 off 10 balls. Abhishek Sharma (43 off 24) and Ishan Kishan (49 off 40) anchored the batting, with captain Shreyas Iyer (37 off 22) adding handy contributions. Sam Curran stood out for England with the ball, claiming three wickets for 33 runs. England Chases Down Target Against India with Ease.
TOSS
India won the toss and elected to bat first.
PLAYING XI
India:
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy
England:
Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue
INDIA
The surface offered genuine pace and bounce, and England’s quicks exploited those conditions smartly at the outset. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue repeatedly troubled both left-handers, though their switch to fuller deliveries in search of wickets immediately backfired. Sooryavanshi wasted no time announcing his arrival, scooping Archer over fine leg for his first international six before launching Tongue over midwicket. Abhishek, after an uncertain opening, punished anything overpitched as India plundered 31 runs across the third and fourth overs.
Will Jacks broke the opening stand by tempting Sooryavanshi down the pitch for a stumping, and Curran then sent back Abhishek for a brisk 43 off the final delivery of the Powerplay, helping England claw back some control.
Iyer and Kishan rebuilt steadily through a fluent 65-run partnership. The T20I skipper repeatedly came down the track to disrupt Dawson and Rashid’s rhythm, even absorbing a painful blow to his right hand from Tongue. Kishan, who survived after Salt dropped a tricky chance at deep midwicket off Rashid, gradually found his footing in the innings.
Dawson eventually outsmarted Iyer by pushing one wider of his arc after watching him repeatedly advance, while Brook’s shrewd use of Jacks against India’s left-handers slowed the momentum just as they were preparing to accelerate.
Curran’s clever pace variations accounted for both Dube and Kishan, and Jacks conceded a tidy 13 runs across his last two overs. Just when 180 seemed out of reach, Tilak Varma shifted the mood dramatically. Harshit Rana capitalised on an extra delivery following Tongue’s wide by depositing it for six, before Varma took apart Archer in the closing over with two enormous sixes over the shorter boundary and a neatly carved four behind point. India gathered 23 runs from the final seven deliveries, finishing on a total that appeared competitive without ever feeling truly match-winning.
ENGLAND
India could barely have asked for a better start to their defence. Arshdeep Singh removed both Phil Salt and Jos Buttler for ducks inside the opening over, leaving England in early trouble at 1 for 2. That advantage evaporated almost instantly as Brook unleashed a breathtaking assault on Arshdeep, smashing four boundaries and three sixes on his way to a stunning 39 off just 15 balls. Axar Patel eventually ended Brook’s innings with a leg-side catch confirmed through a successful review, but the damage had already been done.
Bethell then assumed control. Partnering Tom Banton in an 83-run stand for the fourth wicket, he initially played a supporting role while Banton targeted the deep fielders with considerable success. Arshdeep returned to dismiss Banton, and Varun Chakaravarthy trapped Will Jacks lbw to briefly raise India’s hopes. But the chase swung decisively in the 17th over. Ravi Bishnoi overstepped on two consecutive deliveries, handing Bethell back-to-back free hits that both sailed for six. Another six and a four followed, resulting in a 29-run over that effectively settled the contest.
Bishnoi ended up bowling three no-balls in total, becoming the first spinner from a Full Member nation to achieve that unwanted record in men’s T20I cricket. His expensive 29-run over was also the third costliest ever by an Indian bowler in the format. Iyer acknowledged afterwards that those no-balls had “haunted” his side.
Harshit Rana removed Sam Curran late in the chase, but by that stage Bethell had already guided England to the threshold of victory. He finished unbeaten on 76 off 46 balls as England wrapped up the chase with a full over remaining.
Brief Scores:
India 190/7 (Ishan Kishan 49; Sam Curran 3-33) lost to England 191/6 in 19 overs (Jacob Bethell 76*; Arshdeep Singh 3-40) by four wickets.
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