Manchester, July 4 (IANS) India overcame a testing surface and a spirited England fightback to post a competitive 190/7 in the second T20I at Old Trafford, thanks to brisk contributions throughout the batting order and a late flourish from Tilak Varma. After racing away in the PowerPlay, the visitors lost momentum through the middle overs before Tilak’s unbeaten cameo ensured they finished with a flourish.

The evening also marked a historic occasion as 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became India’s youngest T20I debutant. Walking out alongside Abhishek Sharma, the teenager announced himself in fearless fashion despite England’s quicks extracting appreciable pace and bounce from the fresh surface.

Jofra Archer began with an incisive opening over, repeatedly beating Abhishek outside off, but India soon counterattacked. Sooryavanshi wasted little time in showcasing his attacking instincts, lifting Archer over the wicketkeeper for his maiden international six before depositing Josh Tongue deep into the stands with another clean strike. While the youngster looked unfazed by the occasion, his promising stay ended on 14 when Will Jacks deceived him in flight and Jos Buttler completed a sharp stumping.

Abhishek, meanwhile, mixed audacious strokeplay with a few nervy moments against the extra bounce. He punished anything overpitched, collecting boundaries at will and striking a quickfire 43 off 24 deliveries before Sam Curran induced a mistimed pull to deep midwicket in the final over of the PowerPlay.

With India well placed at 65/2 after six overs, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan rebuilt intelligently. They rotated strike consistently against England’s three-pronged spin attack before cashing in on scoring opportunities. Shreyas was particularly fluent against the slower bowlers, using his feet confidently and producing a stunning back-foot six off Liam Dawson. Kishan complemented him with calculated aggression, finding boundaries through square on both sides of the wicket as the pair added 65 runs for the third wicket.

England, however, wrestled back control through disciplined bowling and clever captaincy from Harry Brook. Will Jacks delivered a miserly over that yielded only singles before Curran returned to vary his pace expertly. The slower balls gripped on the surface, making clean hitting increasingly difficult, and the pressure eventually brought rewards.

Dawson dismissed Shreyas for a well-made 37 after luring him into a mistimed loft, while Curran struck twice in quick succession, removing Shivam Dube and then ending Kishan’s enterprising knock on 49, just one run short of a deserved half-century. Curran finished as England’s standout bowler with figures of 3/32, leading a remarkable recovery after India’s dominant start.

At 153/4 after 17 overs, India risked falling short of a par score, but Tilak Varma injected fresh momentum. Despite Axar Patel’s unfortunate run-out, the left-hander attacked fearlessly at the death, taking on both Tongue and Archer. He launched two towering sixes and added another maximum and boundary in the final over, remaining unbeaten on 24 off just 11 deliveries to propel India to 190/7.

England’s disciplined middle-over comeback had briefly shifted the balance, but Tilak’s late assault ensured India carried momentum into the innings break with what promised to be a challenging total under the Manchester lights.

Brief Scores: India 190/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 49, Abhishek Sharma 43; Sam Curran 3/33, Will Jacks 1-22) against England.

–IANS

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