India’s batter Tilak Varma celebrates after India won the second T20 cricket match against England, at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Tilak Varma stood tall against a fiery English attack and single-handedly guided a tricky chase by slamming a fine unbeaten half-century (72 n.o., 55b, 4×4, 5×6) as India beat England by two wickets in the second T20I at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.
Chasing 166, the Men in Blue started strongly when Abhishek Sharma slammed Jofra Archer for three boundaries in the first over. But the English pacers were relentless and kept picking up wickets regularly to keep their side in the contest.
Tilak, who walked in at three, landed a few early punches when he smashed Archer for a boundary and two sixes in the fifth over.
On a pitch where it was not easy to play the cross-batted shots, the stylish left-handed looked serene, getting inside the line and using the pace to target the fine-leg boundary effectively.
Brydon Carse then silenced the rapturous crowd, removing Suryakumar Yadav and Dhruv Jurel in successive overs. And when Jamie Overton had Hardik Pandya caught behind, India was in trouble at 78 for five in the 10th over.
Tilak and local boy Washington Sundar (26) got the chase back on track, forging a 38-run alliance for the sixth wicket. Washington, who was dropped on 10 by Adil Rashid off Mark Wood, then made England feel the pain by collecting a six and two boundaries in the same over.
However, Carse cleaned up Washington in the next over to set the cat among the pigeons in the Indian camp.
Fortunately for the host, Tilak showed great composure and hit Archer for consecutive sixes in the 16th over, the first of which took him to his half-century in style.
Ravi Bishnoi then chipped in with two timely boundaries before Tilak fittingly finished the chase off, driving Overton through the covers to help India take a 2-0 lead.
Earlier, England managed to post 165 for nine, riding on cameos from skipper Jos Buttler (45, 30b, 2×4, 3×6) and Carse (31, 17b, 1×4, 3×6).
Buttler backed his strength of hitting through the line down the ground and collected three maximums to help his side race to 58 for two in the PowerPlay.
But, once the field spread out, the spinners quickly got on top against the middle-order.
England vice-captain Harry Brook, following the seven-wicket loss in the first T20I in Kolkata, had mentioned that the smog in the metropolis had contributed to the batters’ discomfiture against the spinners. There were no visibility issues on a pleasant and clear evening, but the English batters still struggled to handle the home team’s tweakers.
Varun, playing his first T20I in his backyard, needed just one ball to castle Brook for the second time this series.
Axar Patel then got into the act and struck twice in two overs, removing Buttler and Liam Livingstone as England slumped to 90 for five in the 12th over.
Taking charge
Carse, who replaced Gus Atkinson for this fixture, ensured that England didn’t fall apart like in the series opener. However, a mix-up with Jofra Archer cut short his innings in the 17th over and stopped England from a final flourish.
Published – January 25, 2025 06:57 pm IST
