The bowling triumvirate of veteran Ashish Nehra, seasoned leggie Amit Mishra and uncanny pacer Jasprit Bumrah ensured that Rahul’s onslaught didn’t go waste as India registered a nail-biting 5-run win in the second Twenty20 global against England and keep the series alive going into the deciding rubber.
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KL Rahul was the standout batsman for the Indians, scoring 71 runs from 47 deliveries as all the batsmen around him struggled to get any momentum going.
It was a nail-biting, edge-of-the-seat match in Nagpur but India captain Virat Kohli wasn’t ready to allow Jasprit Bumrah get overwhelmed by the task of preventing a last-ball six.
The hosts also lost Pandey in the penultimate over, bowled by Mills, after clobbering the bowler over long on, his only boundary hit.
To begin with, a team, which can boast of cricketers like Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, tables can turn anytime, depending on the match situation.
A series of dismissals – Billings top-edging Nehra after advancing down the pitch; Roy being caught off a leading edge; the very next ball; and Eoin Morgan tamely picking out midwicket when England seemed ascendant – were distinctly of the self-inflicted variety.
That brought Joe Root and Morgan to the center and the duo helped England complete the chase with 11 deliveries to spare.
Chasing 145 to win, England lost early wickets, but a 50 stand from Joe Root and Ben Stokes looked to have wrenched the game back their way.
Kohli confirmed the return of Amit Mishra to India’s XI, the legspinner replacing Parvez Rasool’s offspin in the only change from the side comprehensively beaten in Kanpur.
On the other hand, having won the opener match comprehensively by seven wickets in Kanpur, England has definite upper hand and look a much-balanced side of the two before the start of today’s game.
However, England had forgotten the fact that India had Bumrah, the man with a slingshot action. The southpaw – alongwith Root – took the visitors close to their designated target.
Stokes was out lbw for 38 off only 27 balls when he swung across the line to seamer Nehra.
Young pacer Jasprit Bumrah (20/2) bowled an inspired last over, conceding only two runs, to deny England a victory. “I took a bit of confidence from the ODIs, but just tried to bowl a length”, Ali concluded.
Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh were dismissed for single digits to Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali leaving the home team at a hard 69 for three just past the half way mark. Kohli and Raina will be important players with the bat while Chahal holds the key with the ball for India.
4th Ball: Another blow to the visitors as a brilliant yorker by Bumrah rattled Buttler’s stumps. With six needed from the final delivery, Moeen Ali failed to connect as India kept the series alive.
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Bumrah just became Bumrah ji. Winning this match, England will assure their series win over the home team, while India would be able to stay in the series if they can muster a win over the English team.
