England vs India 2018, 2nd T20I: Hits and Misses

After winning the first T20I comfortably, Virat Kohli fielded the same team in the second match against England. The hosts, on the other hand, made one change to their playing XI as all-rounder Moeen Ali was left out and debutant Jake Ball was given an opportunity.

The substitution seemed a reasonable one as Ali made just 6 runs and gave away 37 runs in his 2.2 overs in the previous game.

While the Indian team impressed in all the departments in the previous fixture, England’s consolation was Joss Butler’s form and the fact that their football team had made it to the quarterfinals of the ongoing FIFA World Cup.

In order to keep the series alive, it was a must-win game for the home side. Winning the toss, skipper Eoin Morgan opted to bowl first and put pressure on the visitors since ball one. England restricted India for a moderate total of 148 and was able to level the series after winning the match in the last over with 5 wickets in hand.

India, on the other hand, fought hard till the end but was not able to continue their winning streak in T20Is. The series decider will be played in Bristol on Sunday, July 8. Find out which players impressed and who needs to buckle up before the series finale.

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#5 Hit: England Bowling

The Englishmen kept a tight lid on the Indian batting attack since the first ball. The introduction of Jake Ball in the team yielded results in his first over itself as he picked up his first T20I wicket in the form of Rohit Sharma.

Liam Plunkett then dismissed the in-form batsman KL Rahul for just six runs and India was restricted to 31-3 in the power-play.

This was India’s lowest power-play total in the last two years. After the first set of 10 overs, India was 52-3 which is also India’s lowest score against England in the first 10 overs in the 20-20 format.

Plunkett gave away 17 runs while Willey gave 18 runs in their quota of overs. Apart from being economical, they both picked up the crucial wickets of Rahul and Kohli, respectively. A strong Indian batting line-up was restricted to a modest total of 148 as the bowlers bowled to their strengths.

#4 Miss: Indian Openers

Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma failed to deliver today

Dhawan was dismissed in the fifth over when he was trying to take a sharp single after being hit on the body.

It was a bizarre run out as he dropped his bat before reaching the crease and his feet were in the air when Morgan broke the bails. He made 10 from 12 balls before heading back to the pavilion.

Both Dhawan and Rohit can be destructive on their days. The duo has given India great starts in the past but it wasn’t the case this time around.

Sharma fell to debutant Ball’s short delivery when he was trying to pull one out of the ground. Sharma made five runs from nine deliveries that he faced.

With both the openers gone, India was struggling at 22-2 and it was hard to recover from the fall of early wickets.

#3 Hit: Virat Kohli

Kohli made 47 from 38 before he was dismissed by Willey

Kohli made 47 runs from 38 balls before he was dismissed by David Willey in an attempt to increase the scoring.

The captain led from the front and ended up being the top scorer. India would want their ace batsman to continue the good form and keep on scoring runs across different formats.

The fastest man to get to 2000 T20I runs in just 60 matches, Virat Kohli was the only batsman who kept India’s hope alive. Kohli came at the crease when India was 22-2. Along with Suresh Raina, Kohli put a 57-run partnership.

In the past, Kohli's batting performance in England hasn't been that great. His innings today will surely boost his confidence for the upcoming fixtures.

#2 Miss: India’s death bowling

Bairstow hit Yadav for two sixes in an over and that shifted the momentum in England's favour

Bowling the 17th over, Kuldeep Yadav was taken to the cleaners as Bairstow hit him for two sixes.

The over ended up costing 16 runs and eventually, the match. Defending a moderate total, India gave a good fight till the 16th over. With 39 needed from the last four, India was banking on their experienced bowlers to take them home but this wasn’t the case.

Death bowling specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar tried to contain the English batsmen and even picked up Bairstow’s wicket but it was too big a task for him to see India through.

With 12 needed in the last over, Kumar was hit for a six and a four in the first two deliveries and it was easy pickings afterwards.

#1 Hit: England middle-order

Alex Hales was awarded the man of the match for his unbeaten 58 from 41 balls

The experienced batsmen took their time at the crease and even played a few dot balls when Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal were bowling.

Despite that, they didn’t let the run-rate get out of control. Time and again, they played a big shot and got the required runs. Maybe the services of Merlyn - a machine used to counter the wrist-spin - has proved to be effective.

Unlike last time, the English middle-order performed much better and helped the team get through. England was in a spot of bother at 44-3 when skipper Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales were given the responsibility to rebuild the innings.

Morgan's 17 from 19 balls was followed by a quick-fire 28 from 18 balls by Jonny Bairstow.

Hales remained unbeaten with his match-winning innings of 58 runs from 41 balls. Hales saw the team through and was awarded the man of the match for his efforts.

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