Virat Kohli's 73 not out

India level 1-1 T20 series

Virat Kohli's 73 not out
Virat Kohli’s 73 not out
Kishan's 56
Kishan’s 56

Second Twenty20, Ahmedabad

England 164-6 (20 ov)  Roy 46  off 35, 4 fours, 2 sixes, Morgan 28 off20, 4 fours, Malan 24 off 23, 4 fours, Bairstow 20 off 15, 1 four, 1 six, Sundar 2-29, Takur 2-29, Chahal 1-34, B Kumar 1-28

India 166-3 (17.5 ov) Kohli 73 no off 49, 5 fours, 3 sixes, Kishan 56 off 32, 5 fours, 4 sixes. Pant 26 off 13, 2 fours, 2 sixes, S Curran 1-22, Jordan 1-38, Rashid 1-38.

India won by seven wickets

An Indian win in the second T20I between India and England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad levels the five-match series. Left-hander, Ishan Kishan, on his international debut flicked his first ball, from Jofra Archer, for four and then smoked his 11th from Tom Curran for a long on six and needed only 28 balls for his fifty, he smote Ben Stokes over square leg for six in the first over after the powerplay. And promptly added consecutive leg-side sixes off Adil Rashid. But Kohli returning to form was eschewing risk even while cruising along at a strike rate of 150, as he swiveled six to make it 1-1. Kholi became the first-ever batsman to reach 3000 T20I runs and the fastest captain to reach 12, 000 runs in international cricket taking 226 innings. He also overtook Rohit Sharma to record the most 50-plus scores  (26) in T20I cricket.

England is T2o’s world number one, winning empathically in the opening salvo and then subsiding. Two dropped chances by Jos Butler spilling Kohli down the leg side and Ben Stokes spilling Kishan at long on abetted a second-wicket stand of 94.  Butler. After losing the toss, India’s reply made England 164-6 seem tepid.    

Earlier Bhuvenshwar got lbw, Jos Butler, for duck first ball, but Dawid Malan’s 24 from 23 Balls absorbing 19 per cent of deliveries for just 14 per cent of the runs.  Malan tried to sweep Chahal and hit the pads off the first ball of the over, a close call but umpire Anil Chaudhary negates the cries from the Indians. Chahal comes back with a similar delivery short and straight as Malan goes the sweep and misses, the umpire once again but Yuzi was adamant to go for a review as the replays suggest three reds and the world number 1 batsman has to walk. England 70/2. Then Sundar got Roy out for 46 and Bairstow for 20. England 120/4. Takur got Morgan out with a slower ball sitting up off the length and finds a thick edge which Pant takes behind the stumps and Stokes out with slower ball falling low onto the batsmen after pitching on the surface England 164/6 after 20 overs.

England’s innings collapsed as just 35 came from the last five overs. The cutters from India’s seamers restricted England as the pitch offered more turn for Tuesday’s third T20.