Brydon Carse efforts in vain as Tilak Varma leads India to tense win over England in second T20
Brydon Carse efforts in vain as Tilak Varma leads India to tense win over England in second T20
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England delivered a much-improved display but Tilak Varma's nerveless 72 not out carried India to a nail-biting two-wicket victory and a 2-0 lead in their five-match T20 series in Chennai. Blown away in Kolkata, England coped better with another trial by spin as they posted 165 for nine, led by Jos Buttler's 45 off 30 balls and cameos from Jamie Smith (22 off 12) and Brydon Carse (31 off 17).
Carse then took three for 29 as England's battery of quicks reduced India to 146 for eight but Varma was immovable and used the pace to his advantage to get India over the line with four balls to spare. Varma harvested five sixes, all behind square, while the last of his four fours laced through the covers off Jamie Overton left England in the last chance saloon as they look to mark Brendon McCullum's maiden series as all-format head coach with a win.
Adil Rashid took one for 14 but his drop when Washington Sundar was on 10 allowed the all-rounder to collected an extra 16 runs, while fortune evaded Jofra Archer, who recorded T20-worst figures of 4-0-60-1 and ran out Carse just as he looked set to carry England to a defendable total.
The score appeared slightly below-par at halfway as they lost six wickets to the slow bowlers, with India's pacemen topping and tailing the innings and five spinners on from the start of the fourth uninterrupted to the end of the 17th over. After being asked to bat first, Phil Salt perished in the first over to Arshdeep Singh again, fetching a shorter ball outside off and miscuing a pull, but Buttler settled with three blows off the left-armer, including a towering six.
