Tilak Verma Stars, India Stole the Thrilling Show by 2 wickets | IND vs ENG 2nd T20I
IND vs ENG 2nd T20I: What a thriller in Chennai! In a nail-biting finish, India managed to edge past England in a game that swung like a pendulum. India were in big trouble but Tilak and Ravi Bishnoi kept their nerve to guide India to victory in a photo finish. England’s disciplined spells from Brydon Carse and Rashid were undone by Archer’s costly overs, as his 60-run spell proved to be the turning point.
Below are the IND vs ENG 2nd T20I match highlights:
IND vs ENG 2nd T20I Highlights
Surya Kumar Yadav, the Indian skipper, made the right call at the toss and won the flip of the coin. He opted to bowl first and England were asked to bat first for the second consecutive time in the series. India had two changes– Washington and Dhruv Jurel IN for Nitish, and Rinku. Meanwhile, James Smith replaced Jacob Bethell and Carse IN for Gus Atkinson.
England's Playing 11:- Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
India Playing 11:- Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy
England's Innings- 165/9 (20 overs)
Phil Salt and Ben Duckett opened the innings for England, with Arshdeep Singh taking the new ball. Salt, who was beaten on the first delivery of the previous match, started with a confident flick for four off the very first ball this time. However, Arshdeep quickly had his revenge, as Salt mistimed a pull shot off a short ball and was caught in the deep.
Jos Buttler came in next and wasted no time launching an assault, taking 16 runs off Arshdeep's second over. At the other end, Washington Sundar struck with his very first delivery in the fourth over, dismissing Duckett cheaply.
Harry Brook walked in and played a brief cameo, scoring 13 off 7 balls, but Varun Chakravarthy sent him back with a peach of a delivery, needing no assistance from the smog this time! Meanwhile, Jos Buttler fought valiantly but fell five runs short of his half-century, caught in the deep off Axar Patel. Axar struck again soon after, removing Liam Livingstone with a similar delivery, leaving England struggling at 90 for 5.
Jamie Smith attempted to counter-attack, smashing 10 runs off the first two balls of Abhishek Sharma's over, but the bowler had the last laugh, dismissing him shortly after. Brydon Carse took charge next, displaying an ultra-aggressive intent. He even hammered Varun Chakravarthy for back-to-back sixes, signaling a late surge for England.
However, Carse’s innings ended due to a miscommunication in the middle, resulting in a run-out. Despite their struggles, Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer added a few handy runs at the end, helping England post a defendable total of 165.
England's Scorecard:
Phil Salt - 4 (3),
Ben Duckett - 3 (6),
Jos Buttler - 45 (30),
Harry Brook - 13 (8),
Liam Livingstone - 13 (14),
Jamie Smith - 22 (12),
Jamie Overton - 5 (7),
Brydon Carse - 31 (17),
Jofra Archer* - 12 (9),
Adil Rashid - 10 (11),
Mark Wood* - 5 (3).
India's Innings- 166/8 (19.2 overs)
The target was relatively challenging but well within reach by international standards. Abhishek Sharma got the chase off to a flying start, hitting three boundaries in the opening over. However, Mark Wood struck back in the very next over, dismissing Abhishek.
Just six balls later, Sanju Samson’s first aggressive shot proved costly, as he walked back to the pavilion soon after. Suryakumar Yadav then joined Tilak Varma, and together they built a steady 37-run partnership for the third wicket.
Varma began to take on the English bowlers with some aggressive strokes, but his efforts were hindered as he kept losing partners at the other end, with both Suryakumar Yadav and Dhruv Jurel departing in quick succession. Hardik Pandya looked in fluent touch but Overton's first ball took the edge off his bat and India was in a big problem altogether.
England managed to build momentum, but Washington Sundar and Tilak Varma steadied the Indian innings. The turning point came in the 13th over when Sundar took the attack to Mark Wood, smashing him for six and two fours, shifting the momentum back in India’s favor. However, Brydon Carse struck in the very next over, clean-bowled Sundar, and put England back in control.
Axar Patel fell to Liam Livingstone and then Verma took the responsibility on his shoulders. Arshdeep played an ugly shot and lost his wicket as well. India needed 21 off 20 then and Ravi Bishnoi not only saved his wicket but also picked a valuable four. 13 runs were needed in the last two overs and after a decent four balls, Ravi Bishnoi punched a half-volley over the points for four. India just needed 6 from the last over and Mark Wood had the last over to bowl.
Tilak was in the strike for the last over and he punched the first ball to the extra covers for two runs and the next ball through the covers for a four and INDIA won the match by 8 wickets.
India's Scorecard:
Sanju Samson - 5 (7)
Abhishek Sharma - 12 (6)
Tilak Varma* - 72 (55)
Suryakumar Yadav - 12 (7)
Dhruv Jurel- 4 (5)
Hardik Pandya- 7 (6)
Washington Sundar - 26 (19)
Axar Patel - 2 (3)
Arshdeep Singh - 6 (4)
Ravi Bishnoi* - 9 (5)
*- NOT OUT
This innings from Tilak Verma was his fourth consecutive innings where he has been unbeaten in the T20Is. This makes him the player with the most runs without getting out in T20Is. (318* Tilak Varma (107*, 120*, 19*, 72*))
