Ishan Kishan hit five fours and four sixs
| Second Twenty20, Ahmedabad |
| England 164-6 (20 overs): Roy 46 (35); Sundar 2-29, Thakur 2-29 |
| India 166-3 (17.5 overs): Kohli 73 * (49) Kishan 56 (32) |
| India won by seven wickets |
| Scorecard |
England suffered a chastening seven-wicket defeat in Ahmedabad in the second Twenty20 from a resurgent India.
After overwhelming the hosts at the start of the series, England put in a shy performance on a slow pitch.
When asked to hit first, they were gradually suffocated after Jason Roy was fired for 46. Their 164-6 were nothing better than par.
It was contextualized by a mind-boggling 32-ball 56 on Ishan Kishan’s debut, who survived giving Ben Stokes an easy chance at 40 – a mistake typical of England’s sloppy portrayal.
Kishan added 93 with India’s captain Virat Kohli, whose unbeaten 73 also included an escape when he gave wicketkeeper Jos Buttler a tough chance on the leg side on the 10th.
The composed Kohli drew a six to get India to the goal with 13 balls and leveled the streak ahead of the third game on Tuesday in the same location.
India’s struggle adds intrigue
A series of five games between the two best teams in the world, seven months after a T20 World Cup in India, is getting more and more exciting, not least because of the role reversal since the opening of England Eight wicket win.
Faced with challenges India failed to face in the first game – batting first, the difficult surface, then a ball moistened with dew – England put in a performance as poor as Friday’s performance.
The tourists were handicapped by the absence of Mark Wood, locked out with a bruised heel, and the tempo bowlers, so dangerous two nights ago, were largely ineffective.
India wasn’t flawless – better field play would have made the chase even easier – but bowling at the end of England’s innings was superb before Kishan started the chase.
Rejuvenated, the hosts – especially the master hunter Kohli – delighted one of the more than 600,000 spectators in the world’s largest cricket stadium.
Well beaten below average England
Although England lost to Buttler in their first game to a golden duck, a 63-strong partnership between Roy and Dawid Malan provided a solid platform.
Roy’s swishing and swiping, however, provided indications of the difficult stroke conditions and after catching off-spinner Washington Sundar on a deep square leg, England stopped.
Only two limits and 35 runs came from the last five overs. The pace bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya almost exclusively played slower balls. Pandya’s return from 0-33 was particularly important as the all-rounder had to deliver a full complement of four overs due to the Indian squad’s shift in balance.
Kishan, who made his debut alongside fellow batsman Suryakumar Yadav in place of opener Shikhar Dhawan and spinner Axar Patel, was immediately impressed, making it clear that KL Rahul fell on Sam Curran in the first round of the chase.
Left-handed Kishan aimed at the side of the leg and punished Chris Jordan, Tom Curran and Stokes, all of whom were expensive.
His attack allowed Kohli to play the anchor and although Kishan Adil Rashid swept lbw backwards, Rishabh Pant picked up the coat with an exciting 26 of only 13 balls.
Kohli survived a minor stumping appeal from Rashid on 54 in scenes reminiscent of England’s frustration with the third referee from the Test series, but by then India was well on its way to victory.
Kohli became the first batsman to hit 3,000 T20 runs by hitting a six to win the match
“We checked all the boxes” – what they said
England’s Captain Eoin Morgan: “Today was a different challenge than the first game. We want to learn as much as we can from tonight. I’m glad we played this type of wicket, but I’m disappointed with the way we played .
“Halfway through we were probably in or around par. Full credit to India for the way they played bowling. They eyelashed us right away.
“Woody is feeling better today so hopefully he will be fine for game three.”
India’s captain Viart Kohli: “We checked all the boxes we wanted, especially with the ball. I’m very, very pleased with our bow and with the bat it was a convincing ending.
“England are a good team – you have to do your best to beat them. You have to be precise, professional and finish the job – and we did that tonight.
“Ishan changed the game completely. He took the game away from the opponent – a first class inning on his debut. He’s a fearless character. He should continue to support his instincts. He knew he hit the ball well, but he was calculated – He wasn’t reckless. “
Man of the Game Ishan Kishan: “I got off to a good start and just wanted to finish the game. I looked all over the floor and was so happy that I’m finally here and it’s time to show my game now. I wanted to prove myself.” “”
