India vs England highlights, 2nd T20I: IND beat ENG by 2-wickets to take 2-0 lead in Chennai

It was a great game. All credit to Tilak for getting them over the line. We created a lot of chances, really aggressive, pushed them really close. Really pleased with the way we went about with the bat. We lost a few wickets but the aggression was there. Really happy with the style we played. Lots of positives. The way Jamie SMith played was fantastic. We can always improve and we are happy with the style.

My job was to give him (Tilak) strike and not play any unnecessary shots. Today I posted a reel on Instagram - "Why should batters have all the fun?" When the slip came in, I knew they were trying to dismiss me with leg-spin. I tried to go over covers but I got a lucky four. (On Tilak) One of the best innings in T20s. Wickets were falling, it wasn't an easy wicket and if you look at their bowling attack, they had all the big names. He's doing this from the last 2-3 months. He got two hundred in South Africa, he's playing well in the domestic arena as well, we knew something big was coming. He's doing really big now.

Tilak Varma scores a boundary and finishes off things in style. What an innings this has been from young Varma he kept his composure through the innings and ensured that India has reached home. The way he batted with the tail has been top-notch. Tilak, just 22 years old might have just played an innings which might cement his spot in the Indian white-ball cricket for a few years. India has taken a 2-0 lead here but England have competed today. They have turned up another 10-15 runs it could have been a different game altogether.

Livingstone came into bowl the 19th over and Bishnoi managed to get the boundary. It was quite a gamble by Buttler it did not completely paid off and neither did that over completely desert him either. India need six to win from final over with Craig Oveton bowling it. 

Adil Rashid in his final over scalped Arshdeep Singh who played a slog-sweep straight down the throat of square leg. It is getting quite tense here. This innings has been going for ever Buttler needs to be vary of the over-rate here or he might be penalised with one less fielder in the final overs.

Jofra Archer came back and bowled his final over which went for 19 runs. It was not all skill the Indian batters did have a bit of luck in that over however, it is a momentum changer. This game has had so many ebbs and flows. This is the beauty of 160-180 scoring games where tactics and skills are tested to full extent. As we update Rashid picks up Arshdeep Singh.

Axar Patel has come in and gone. Buttler dangled the carrot by bringing Livingstone into the attack which Axar charged down the track and tried to whack however, was caught on the boundary and cow-corner. He would be kicking himself will Axar. India is in a spot of bother now. A lot rests on Tilak who has just gone past 50 here.

Brydon Carse has picked up his third wicket here and it's Sundar. The Indian batter tried to make some room and carve the ball through the off-side however, the ball pitched on good length and skidded onto hit the stumps. India has now lost six wickets. What a game Carse is having. He played a handy knock with the bat and now has bowled well.

Well, back-to-back big overs for India. The last two have yielded 31 runs it is just the right momentum swing India needed in this contest. England has made all the right changes till now but last couple it just seems like they are losing a bit of concentration. It all started with Rashid's dropped chance of Sundar in Wood's bowling which was followed by a no-ball and few boundaries.

Buttler's captaincy in this game has been very good. Often there have been times since the World Cup win in 2022 it seemed like pre-match plans are what he stuck to irrespective of the game situation and the lack of flexibility has cost them the games. The flaw was more visible in the longer format of the game but today nothing of the sort. He has been spot-on with all the changes. As we update Adil Rashid dropped Sundar.

Things have worked out well here for England. The bowling attack has suited the pitch nicely though they were losing wickets in their batting innings they had enough cameos coming through that innings from time to time which got them to a decent total on this wicket. While this team has not lost any bilateral series under Surya they did show a bit of vulnerability when playing on wickets which have something for the bowlers.

The Indian scoring rate has fallen of a cliff here. As we update Hardik Pandya departs. It was a short one which Pandya tried to cut and got the edge to keeper Phil Salt. The England quicks are running through the Indian batting here. It is one of those strange surfaces despite being slow can help the seamers more than spinners because of their ability to hit hard lengths and the ball skidding or stopping a bit.

Adil Rashid has been brought into the attack and the first ball he delivered gripped and turned. There are still no signs of dew yet on the ground and it might get tricky for India. They also have the option of Liam Livingstone who can ball both off-breaks and leg-breaks depending on the match interesting passage of play this in this game. As we update Carse picks up Jurel.

Carse comes in and picks up the Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav. It was the hard length delivery on the middle-stump that Surya tried to nudge towards the third man however, the ball was too close to the stumps and he chopped the ball onto them. It is a misjudgement of line more than length. A couple of failures for Surya in this format which is a rarity.

England is going for it their bowlers are bowling at high-pace and the Indian batters are not backing down either they are playing their shots. This is high-octane cricket. Tilak Varma especially here has been top-notch. The quicker Archer is bowling the quicker it is going off Tilak's bat. It just might not be a bad option for Archer to bowl a slower one here.

Jofra Archer has picked up Sanju Samson here. It is that persistent hard-length bowling which got the better of the batter. He tried to pull it and Buttler had the square-leg fielder squarer which is what you do on slow wickets and the ball went right under his throat. India is looking a bit uncomfortable here at this point in time with the extreme pace of England

Mark Wood has picked up Abhishek Sharma. It was a good ball that Sharma tried to play across the line and missed and was trapped in front of the wicket. He was given out but he did send it upstairs only to burn out a review. 3 overs into the contest it just seems like it is not going to be a straightforward chase for India.

Archer has taken the new ball and Abhishek Sharma squeezed a couple of thrilling shots in that first over. England is not going to pitch anything up because they have seen how the wicket was behaving and how the ball has been responding when pitched on good length however, what it does is telegrams the Indian batters on what to expect and they can be prepared as well.

We decide (bowling plan) looking at the track. We also have an eye on the strengths of the opponents. We had the luxury of playing three spinners. 165 is a chaseable target. 185-190 could have been scored. On the rise shots are easy to play. Players backing away or walking across their sticks were able to connect well.

That's it England got 165 runs which is not a bad score from their perspective they have seen how India has bowled and what kind of deliveries respond on this surface which gives them a bit of an advantage. As per India, they would be cautiously optimistic about their bowling performance. It is not an easy score to get and if a couple of wickets fall early it will make it tricky for the hosts.

England have gone past 150 runs here. For all the wickets they have lost in this innings, they have got something to bowl to. However, they need to pick early wickets with the new ball. If the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson get going we have seen many times before the chase will be killed in powerplay itself. Mind you the ball is not coming onto the bat like it did in Kolkata.

England star Harry Brook was trolled by cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri from the commentary box after he was bowled in the second consecutive game by Varun Chakaravarthy.

After getting bowled for 17 runs by a wrong un from Varun Chakaravarthy in the first T20I in Eden Gardens, Harry Brook had blamed the smog in Kolkata for England’s troubles reading spin.(Read more)

England lost another two since the last update. First, it was Jamie Overton who could not pick Chakravarthy's googly and then it was Brydon Carse who was sold down the river by Jofra Archer. They took the first one nicely however Archer called for the second and going quarter of the way decided he would run back, Carse who was committed to the call had turned back and could not make his ground at the non-striker end as Bishnoi whipped the bails to pick England's eighth. 

Though the spinners are getting wickets on this one it will be interesting to see how England seamers operate on this one. According to a few reports, there has been not much dew for the last couple of games hence this wicket well only get slower and slower and the evidence we saw with the new ball when Hardik and Arshdeep operating was ball dug in with varying paces can be quite tricky on this one.

Another one goes down. Suryakumar Yadav threw the ball to Abhishek Sharma and Jamie Smith who was batting exceptionally well decided to make the most of the part-timers over and he did get a six and four before holing one out to long-off fielder. It is just 13th over and England has already lost six wickets.

Liam Livingstone tried to pull Axar Patel and was caught at square leg by Harshit Rana. The surface seems to be tailor-made for Axar to bowl his ideal length which is that good length region which makes batters play on the back foot in this format of the game. However, the oddball because of his clever pace variations is skidding through and one is stopping a bit.

Axar Patel gets Jos Buttler. It was a ball in the good length region that seemed to have stopped slightly and bounced a little more than Buttler anticipated. Buttler pulled it and hit it straight to the throat of cow-corner fielder Tilak Varma. England have lost four wickets with not much of a score. England's batting once again struggling to deal with tweakers.

It is one of those modern player things by Harry Brook where he tried to read the ball off the surface and missed it. He tried to play for a straight one however, the ball came in yet again like it did in Kolkata into Brook who had no idea how to deal with it and ball hit the middle stump. Liam Livingstone has walked into the middle who too could not pick Varun in the last game.

Varun Chakravarthy comes into attack and he creates an opportunity first ball. The ball hit Buttler's pads and after a bit of discussion Surya went upstairs there were a couple of reds on the ball-tracking however, the ball was kissing the leg stump and was the umpire's call on wickets hitting who gave it not out. As we update Varun picks Harry Brook. It was a cracking delivery.

India is playing with five spin options if Abhishek Sharma which is a good selection given how the wicket is looking at this point in time. However, the ball needs to get a touch older for them to become threatening on this pitch. At this point there is not much of turn per say but the odd ball is stopping a bit when pitched in good length area however, when tossed up is coming nicely onto bat.

Jos Buttler has started well here. He is looking in sublime touch once again. He is not only picking his spots well but also has been able to predict the length of what the bowler is going to do. As we update Washington Sundar has come into the attack and has picked up Ben Duckett. It was a reverse sweep that got the top edge and flew straight to point fielder Jurel.

This is interesting from India. They have resorted to bowling short balls very early on in this inning. There is no grass on the wicket and usually because of the moisture the odd ball might stick in the surface for a bit which might make the shot making a bit difficult. However, the mixture has to be right. So far in two overs bowled it has worked.

Arshdeep Singh has done it again. It is Phil Salt he gets once again for the 2nd time. However, this time it was not his usual swinging deliveries which did the damage but the short one. The way Salt pulled it he clearly did not expect it and also credit must be given to how well Arshdeep directed that bumper. He cannot do any wrong Arshdeep at this point in his career.

Let's go the conditions look excellent for cricket here in Chennai. Usually things tend to be hot and muggy here at the Chepauk but it is the month of January and there might just be a cool breeze across the ground through the evening. We have a cracking contest on our hands do stay with us for all live updates.

"T20I cricket is back in Chennai after almost 7 years. This is a bigger venue. Square boundaries - 68m and 66m and 75m straight down the ground. Few cracks (on the pitch), there's a good covering of grass and most of it is pretty dead. Good pitch, I am saying somewhere around 180. We've got a pitch here which is a good pitch. The quick bowlers will look to bowl into the surface. I don't think there's going to be extravagant bounce. The spinner will get a little bit of bounce as well. Don't think there'll be a huge amount of spin. A very good surface to bat on, might get a little slow because this is a black soil pitch. Not much dew."

Ben Duckett, Philip Salt(w), Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy

We would have bowled first as well. Same gameplans, look to do better. Hopefully it'll be a good pitch and match. Bethell is unwell, Jamie Smith comes in. Atkinson misses out, Carse comes in.

We'll look to bowl first. Looks a good track, hoping the wicket to be better in the evening. We want to stick to the basics. Really looking forward to the game. (Fielding) That's one thing which brings everyone together. Nitish is ruled out, Rinku will miss one or two games. Washi and Jurel come in.

Jamie Smith has been handed a cap and will make his debut tonight in place of Jacob Bethel who is down with illness.

In 1992-93, an English selector blamed smog for a Test loss. More recently, player Brook attributed his struggles against spin in T20s to his own overly aggressive batting technique, suggesting he needs to play with more control. This highlights the difference between blaming external factors and taking personal responsibility for performance.

The 2nd T20I between India and England will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network. The match will also be available for live streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

Abhishek Sharma who twisted his ankle during the training session on Friday is warming up without any trouble.

Washington Sundar is also taking throwdowns and is bowling in the practice pitches alongside Mohammed Shami and Varun Chakaravarthy.

Matches played: 26, 

India won: 15, 

England won: 11

While Jos Buttler scored a half-century, England's batting performance could improve significantly if Ben Duckett performs well. Duckett is known for his strong play against spin, particularly his use of sweeps and reverse sweeps, which could disrupt the Indian spinners. If he can build a substantial innings, it would strengthen England's middle order and overall batting performance.

English batters struggled against Varun Chakravarthy's googlies in the first match. He's been in excellent form and effective in various conditions. Chennai's pitch is expected to offer more support to spinners, potentially making Chakravarthy even more dangerous than he was in Kolkata, where he still managed to take three wickets despite limited assistance from the pitch.

The second T20I will be played on a new, black-soil pitch. Recent night match data (12 wins for first batting team out of 23) suggests no significant toss advantage. However, the Chidambaram Stadium can produce high-scoring matches. In the 2024 IPL, first innings scores exceeded 200 three times in eight games, with one match seeing both teams score over 220.

The weather forecast for the 2nd T20I in Chennai is mostly cloudy with a high of 25°C. No rain is expected, so the match should proceed without interruptions.

The 25-year-old Arshdeep Singh was also named in the ICC T20I Team of the Year 2024 besides India teammates Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya. Rohit Sharma was named as the captain of the T20I Team of the Year 2024.

Only four players acorss the world claimed more T20I wickets than Arshdeep in 2024: Saudi Arabia’s Usman Najeeb (38), Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga (38), UAE’s Junaid Siddique (40) and Hong Kong’s Ehsan Khan (46). But it must be noted that all four players got more matches. Of those bowlers, only Hasaranga featured for a full-member nation.

Arshdeep Singh has been named the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year for 2024. His impressive bowling, including 36 wickets in 18 matches with an average of 15.31 and an economy rate of 7.49, was a key factor in India's T20 World Cup victory.

Despite concerns about his fitness after being left out of the Kolkata match, Mohammed Shami is actually fit to play. His omission was due to team strategy, with India prioritizing batting and bowling depth by including all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy, alongside three spinners.

Mohammed Shami, who didn't play in Kolkata, practiced bowling. He started with a shortened run-up and a knee brace, supervised by the bowling coach, then later bowled at full speed. This suggests he may have been recovering from or managing a knee issue.

"It's always nice to score runs as a batter and contribute to wins. That's the only thing I'm really bothered about, is trying to be a match winner. If I win one or two games out of this series here I'll be very happy with it" 

"Initially, the plan will be the same and I will see how they are trying to approach me. It's all instinctive. Basically, you have certain plans for certain batters and that will be pretty much that. But if they are trying to do something different, it will be more instinctive"

Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Nitish Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami/Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy

Abhishek Sharma's participation in the second T20I against England is in doubt after he twisted his ankle during warm-ups and was seen limping at the nets. This is a concern for India, as he top-scored in the first match. If he's ruled out, India doesn't have another specialist opener in the squad. They might have to promote Tilak Varma or Dhruv Jurel to open alongside Sanju Samson.

India has a potential injury concern as opener Abhishek Sharma twisted his right ankle during warm-ups before the second T20I against England in Chennai. He was in pain and received treatment from the physio. Although he was able to walk and go to the nets, he did not bat.