Responding to England’s 165/9, India finished the chase in 19.2 overs, with Tilak Varma scoring an unbeaten 72 off 55 balls.
In the second T20 International, India defeated England pacers by two wickets and took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series in Chennai on Saturday because to Tilak Varma’s fifty of exceptional skill. India concluded the evening at 166 for eight thanks to Tilak’s (72 not out, 55b, 4×4, 5×6) brilliant use of the English bowlers’ tremendous pace to accumulate runs and push the team over the finish line. The England bowlers were cock-a-hoop after making significant progress, and the left-hander hardly got steady support from the other end, making it a mini-classic.
Jofra Archer, the pacer, was his favorite target of the evening. He lost 60 runs in four overs for the wicket of Sanju Samson, hitting the Sussex player for four sixes in all, the fourth of which sent him over fifty.
The left-hander also had a very remarkable inside the line six off pacer Brydon Carse over deep fine leg (3/29).
Prior to Tilak’s strength bringing them home, India had to pass through the panic room.
After hitting Archer for three boundaries in the opening over, the in-form Abhishek Sharma got India off to a scorching start.The dismissal had India at a slightly shaky 15 for one when captain Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak added 39 quick runs for the third wicket to take their side to 58, but the former dragged Carse on to his stumps to give England an opening. However, a 148 kmph nip-backer by pacer Mark Wood struck him on the back foot, and even the DRS, which was taken more in hope than in any real conviction, was unable to save him.The English pacers burst through that creek with the wickets of Hardik Pandya and Dhruv Jurel, bringing India down to 78 for five from 58 for three.
However, Washington Sundar, who was dropped off Wood at mid-on on 10 by Adil Rashid, took advantage of that reprieve by hitting the Durham player for a six and two fours in quick succession to lower the rising asking rate.
But the ball crashed onto Washington’s stumps when he tried to run a thunderbolt from Carse to the third man at 140 kmph.
India were 116 for six then. But they found a willing soldier in Tilak.
Earlier, Jos Buttler showed semblance of fight but other English batters didn’t follow the skipper’s suit while succumbing to Indian spinners.
