Manchester: India suffered a four-wicket defeat against England in the second T20 International at Old Trafford on Saturday. After opting to bat first, India posted 190 for 7 in 20 overs. England chased down the target with 191 for 6 in 19 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The opening match had been washed out due to rain, and three matches are still to be played. The third T20 will be held in Nottingham on Tuesday (10:00 PM IST).
Following a 0-2 series defeat in Ireland, India endured another disappointing result on English soil. Jacob Bethell emerged as the match-winner with an unbeaten 76 off 46 balls, including five sixes and five fours. Captain Harry Brook (39 off 15 balls) and Tom Banton (39 off 32 balls) also made valuable contributions, but it was Bethell who proved to be India’s biggest headache.
Bishnoi’s 17th Over Changed the Match
The turning point came in the 17th over, bowled by leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi, which yielded a massive 29 runs. Bethell smashed three sixes and a four in the over, swinging the match decisively in England’s favour.
The over read: No-ball (2 runs), 6, No-ball (1 run), 6, 2, 4, 6, 2.
Among the Indian bowlers, Arshdeep Singh struck twice in the very first over and finished with three wickets. Harshit Rana, Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy claimed one wicket each, while Bishnoi went wicketless, conceding 60 runs.
No Half-Century in India’s Total of 190
India’s innings did not feature a single half-century. Ishan Kishan top-scored with 49 off 40 balls, hitting six fours. Abhishek Sharma contributed 43 with eight fours and a six, while Shreyas Iyer added 37.
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Debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi (14), Shivam Dube (5) and Axar Patel (2) failed to make significant contributions. However, Tilak Varma provided a late flourish with an unbeaten 24 off just 11 balls, including two sixes and a four, scoring at a strike rate of 218.18 to push India close to the 200-run mark. Harshit Rana also chipped in with six runs, including a six.
England’s bowling was led by Sam Curran, who claimed three wickets. Jofra Archer picked up one wicket, while spinners Will Jacks and Liam Dawson took one wicket each.