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Tilak Varma’s half-century helped Team India secure a two-wicket victory over England at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai to lead the five-match T20I series 2-0.
Tilak Varma (PC: Sportzpics)
Team India completed a two-wicket win over England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series against the tourists.
Tilak Varma’s half-century helped India successfully chase down the target of 166 runs in 19.2 overs to one-up the Englishmen on the eve of Bharat’s Republic Day celebrations.
The visitors lost wickets early after being put to bat first by Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav as maverick opener Phil Salt fell in the fourth delivery of the game as seaming southpaw Arshdeep Singh struck early.
The boisterous Chennai crowd came alive as Washington Sundar held onto the catch offered up by Salt off the pacer.
The hometown boy Sundar turned wicket-taker as he removed Ben Duckett for just 3 off twice as many deliveries with Dhruv Jurel demonstrating a safe pair of hands.
England, who managed to make just shy of 60 in the powerplay lost yet another batter as another lad, the crafty Varun Chakravarthy, from the streets of Chennai sent Harry Brook packing for 13.
English captain Jos Buttler, who chipped in with a handsome contribution of 45 runs off just 30 deliveries, was next to go as Axar Patel’s tantalizing delivery was smashed towards cow corner only to end up short of the ropes and into the hands of Tilak Varma.
Axar doubled his tally as substitute Harshit Rana picked up Liam Livingstone’s catch after the England all-rounder had added 13 runs.
England continued the assault nevertheless and reached the triple-figure mark in style as Jamie Smith belted one over long-on before cutting one for another boundary. But, his joy was shortlived as he tossed one into the hands of Ravi Bishnoi off Abhishek Sharma.
Jamie Overton was cleaned out by Chakravarthy for 5 before a dreadful miscommunication between the wickets brought curtains down on Brydon Carse’s day with the bat after he had made 31 off 17.
Hardik Pandya joined the party as he fixed Adil Rashid into knocking one behind to Sanju Samson in the 19th over for 10 off 11 deliveries.
Jofra Archer and Mark Wood remained unbeaten at 12 and 5 respectively as England set India a target of 166.
Abhishek opened the chase alongside Samson and got the hosts off to a cracking start as the southpaw found the ropes early in the second inning, but was caught plumb in front of the wickets by Wood as he departed for 12 off 6 to be replaced by Tilak.
Samson departed soon after as Archer scalped the Indian as Suryakumar made his way to the middle.
The captain delighted the crowd by sending the English seamer’s deliveries racing to the boundary lines like a tracer bullet to announce his arrival.
India breached the 50-run mark midway through the fifth over as Tilak tormented Archer blazing the pacer twice over the advertisement foam and once to it in a commanding fashion. Tilak had a field day targetting the area behind the wickets to solid returns.
Carse snipped Suryakumar’s innings in the bus before the home team skipper could go on a full cry as he cleaned out the mercurial batter.
Jurel fell to a soft dismissal as Carse picked up his second of the night.
Pandya came out to bat to a raucous welcome overshadowing the popular music blaring over the speakers. He ensured the roars would continue with a boundary to get off the mark. But the crowd went quiet with the dismissal of the all-rounder as Pandya edged one behind to Salt off Overton shortly after.
India reached the 100-run milestone in the 13th over as Sundar dispatched a free-hit delivery over the ropes before piling on more misery with back-to-back boundaries.
Carse, however, clipped Sundar’s wings by removing the bails of the battersl’s stump after he had made 26 off 19 to complete his three-fer. Axar fell cheaply for 2 off 3 as Livingstone scalped the left-hander.
Tilak was in impervious touch as he dealt in boundaries to chomp down on the run requirement in a steady fashion.
Arshdeep fell to Rashid for 6 off 4 but Bishnoi held crease to support Tilak who took India over the line in the final over to spark early Republic Day celebrations.
