India suffered a defeat on the very day Vaibhav Suryavanshi made his international debut, as England beat them by 4 wickets in the second T20 international to take a 1-0 lead in the five match series. The chase swung England's way in the closing overs thanks to an unbeaten 76 from Jacob Bethell, which snatched the game away from India late on.
India Post 190 After Batting First
Batting first, India put up 190 for 7 in their 20 overs, no small feat under cloudy skies and gusty wind that made stroke play difficult. Abhishek Sharma top scored with 43 off 24 balls, captain Shreyas Iyer made 37 off 22 balls, and Ishan Kishan contributed 49 off 43 balls, though none of the trio looked fully at ease at the crease. Kishan in particular struggled the most to accelerate. Iyer and Kishan added 65 for the third wicket to rebuild the innings, with Iyer using his feet well, though the ground's big boundaries made finding the fence difficult. Abhishek Sharma struggled badly in his first 12 balls, missing the ball nearly 10 times, before finding his rhythm against the slower bowlers and playing some eye catching strokes. He eventually holed out to Tom Banton at midwicket off a Sam Curran full toss. In the closing overs, Tilak Varma smashed an unbeaten 24 off just 11 balls, taking 17 runs off Jofra Archer in the final over alone to push India to a competitive total.
Suryavanshi's Brief But Record Breaking Cameo
All eyes were on 15 year old Vaibhav Suryavanshi in this match. On his international debut, he broke Sachin Tendulkar's nearly 37 year old record to become the youngest player to represent India. His innings, however, did not last long. He made 14 off 10 balls, including two sixes, before being stumped by Jos Buttler off off spinner Will Jacks while attempting to charge down the pitch. Suryavanshi struggled with the extra bounce on offer early on, but he did produce a stunning whip scoop for six off a Jofra Archer quick delivery, followed by an attractive six over long on off Josh Tongue. England captain Harry Brook, though, brought Will Jacks into the attack at the right moment, and Suryavanshi was deceived by his slow, floated off breaks.
England's Bowlers Made The Most Of The Conditions
England's bowling unit used the conditions superbly. Jofra Archer's pace and extra bounce troubled India's batters in the early overs, while Sam Curran kept building pressure through the middle overs with his constant change of pace and slower balls. Curran finished with figures of 3 for 33 in his four overs. Will Jacks picked up 1 wicket for 22 in three overs, left arm spinner Liam Dawson took 1 for 27 in three overs, and experienced leg spinner Adil Rashid conceded 21 runs in his two overs.
A Rocky Start To England's Chase
Chasing 191, England endured a horror start. Arshdeep Singh struck twice early to give India the initiative. Opener Phillip Salt was caught by Ishan Kishan without scoring, and captain Jos Buttler became Arshdeep's second victim, out for a duck off just 3 balls. After those early blows, Harry Brook steadied things with a blistering 39 off just 15 balls, studded with 4 fours and 3 sixes, while Tom Banton played a composed innings of his own, contributing 39 off 32 balls.
Bethell's Unbeaten 76 Turns The Game
Once Brook and Banton departed, Jacob Bethell took charge of the chase, playing a match winning unbeaten innings of 76 off 46 balls studded with 5 fours and 5 towering sixes. Will Jacks was dismissed lbw for 9 off Varun Chakravarthy, and Sam Curran added 7 before falling. Jofra Archer then finished things off in style, hitting an unbeaten 10 off 7 balls to take England to 191 for 6 in the 19th over and seal the win.
India's Bowling Numbers
Among India's bowlers, Arshdeep Singh finished with the best figures, taking 3 wickets for 40 runs in his 4 overs. Axar Patel was the most economical, conceding just 20 runs for 1 wicket in his 4 overs. Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana picked up 1 wicket apiece, while Ravi Bishnoi had an expensive outing, leaking 60 runs in his 4 over quota.
England Move Ahead In The Series
With this win, England have taken a 1-0 lead in the five match T20 series. For India, Vaibhav Suryavanshi's debut will be remembered for a historic record even though his side now faces the challenge of hitting back in the remaining matches.
