Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan Lead India to 7-wicket Win over England

Indian skipper Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan during the 2nd T20 match between India and England at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Mar. 14. (ANI photo/BCCI Twitter)

Associated Press

AHMEDABAD, India — Captain Virat Kohli and young opener Ishan Kishan scored brilliant half centuries to power India to a seven-wicket win over England in the second Twenty20 international on Mar. 14.

Kohli hit an unbeaten 73 off 49 balls and 22-year-old Kishan impressed with 56 off 32 in his debut T20I. India easily reached 166-3 in 17.5 overs to level the five-match series at 1-1.

England scored 164-6 after being put into bat.

Kohli finished off the game in style with a flicked four and then a pulled six against Chris Jordan, who could have got the Indian captain on 10 off his first delivery but Jos Buttler spilled the legside catch in the fifth over.

Kohli, who was out without scoring in the first match, hit five fours and three sixes and also became the first batsman to reach 3,000 runs in T20 internationals.

“We ticked all the boxes we wanted to,” Kohli said. “Today that counterattacking innings of his (Kishan) and our partnership was something the team needed. They bowled too short, probably not on, on that surface.”

Left-handed Kishan, who replaced Shikhar Dhawan, smacked five boundaries and four sixes. He had added 94 runs with Kohli at the halfway stage after Lokesh Rahul failed for the second successive time when he was caught behind for a duck in Sam Curran’s first over.

Kishan, who was dropped on 40, reached his half century with back-to-back sixes against Adil Rashid (1-38).

Rashid trapped Kishan leg before wicket after a failed reverse sweep.

India’s fast bowlers earlier strangled England in the death overs and restricted the visitors’ total, mainly through the variations of Shardul Thakur (2-29).

Thakur claimed the vital wickets of captain Eoin Morgan (28) and Ben Stokes (24) through his off-cutters with India giving away only 35 runs off the last five overs.

“This was a different pitch to the one for the first game, less pace in it,” Morgan said. “Statistically there is always an advantage in chasing, especially if there’s dew around, (but) tonight there was no dew, full credit to India.”

Opening batsman Jason Roy top-scored with 46 off 35 before holing out in the deep against offspinner Washington Sundar (2-29), who kept the scoring rate in check on a slow wicket in the middle overs with legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal (1-34).

England won the first game by eight wickets.

The third T20 is on Mar. 16.