Manchester, July 4 (IANS) Jacob Bethell produced an unbeaten 76 while Harry Brook’s breathtaking assault in the powerplay turned the chase on its head as England chased down 191 with an over to spare, defeating India by four wickets in the second T20I in Manchester. With the win, the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the five-game series.

Earlier, India had recovered from a mid-innings slowdown to post 190/7, with Abhishek Sharma setting the tone, Ishan Kishan anchoring the middle overs and Tilak Varma providing the finishing kick. However, England’s fearless batting eventually proved too strong despite a spirited fight from India’s bowlers.

The visitors could scarcely have imagined a better start with the ball. Arshdeep Singh struck with the very first delivery, inducing an outside edge from Phil Salt, before removing Jos Buttler for a duck in the same over as Varun Chakaravarthy held on to a sharp catch at midwicket. England were reeling at 1/2, and India appeared firmly in command.

That advantage lasted only briefly. Brook responded with a breathtaking display of clean hitting, taking Harshit Rana for two boundaries before completely dismantling Arshdeep in the third over. The England skipper hammered 27 runs from the over, striking three sixes and three fours with astonishing timing to transform the complexion of the chase. From 1/2, England rocketed to 38/2 within three overs, swinging the momentum decisively.

India eventually found relief through Axar Patel, whose successful review ended Brook’s electrifying 39 off just 15 deliveries. Axar, who also completed 100 T20 wickets during the innings, slowed the scoring considerably alongside Varun Chakaravarthy, allowing India to claw their way back into the contest.

Bethell, though, never allowed the required rate to spiral out of control. Calm against both pace and spin, the left-hander accumulated smartly while Tom Banton settled in after the early collapse. Their partnership steadied England through the middle overs, with Banton repeatedly using the reverse sweep and conventional strokeplay to keep the scoreboard moving.

Arshdeep returned to break the stand, having Banton caught in the deep for 39, before Varun trapped Will Jacks lbw soon after to leave England needing 49 from the final five overs with five wickets in hand. At that stage, India sensed an opening.

Instead, the match slipped away in one disastrous over. Ravi Bishnoi, who had already overstepped once earlier in the innings, bowled two no-balls in the 17th over, both resulting in free-hits. Bethell punished every mistake mercilessly, smashing three towering sixes and a boundary in an over that leaked 29 runs.

Bethell reached a superb half-century during that assault and continued to dictate terms. Although Harshit Rana removed Sam Curran and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi celebrated his maiden international catch on the boundary, England were left requiring only manageable runs in the final two overs.

Arshdeep, who finished with excellent figures of 3/40 after his dream opening spell, briefly delayed the inevitable, but Bethell calmly guided England home before Jofra Archer sealed victory with two runs off the final ball of the 19th over.

India’s innings had followed a similarly fluctuating script. Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, making history as India’s youngest T20I debutant, announced himself with two sixes before being stumped for 14. Abhishek Sharma then blazed 43 off 24, while Shreyas Iyer (37) and Ishan Kishan (49) stitched together a valuable partnership after the powerplay.

England fought back impressively through Sam Curran’s variations, with the left-armer claiming 3/32, but Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 24 from only 11 balls, including three sixes in the closing overs, lifted India to what initially looked like a formidable 190.

That total ultimately proved insufficient against an England batting unit that recovered brilliantly from 1/2. Brook’s explosive counterattack ensured the asking rate never became overwhelming, while Bethell’s mature, unbeaten 76 provided the perfect finishing touch as England completed a memorable chase to take a lead in the series.

Brief Scores: India 190/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 49, Abhishek Sharma 43; Sam Curran 3/33, Will Jacks 1-22) lost to England 191/6 in 19 overs (Jacob Bethell 76, Harry Brook 39, Tom Banton 39; Arshdeep Singh 3-40) by four wickets.

–IANS

vi/