India defeated England by two wickets in a thrilling match, chasing down 165 runs with just two wickets in hand. Tilak Varma, batting at No. 3, played a brilliant knock of 72* off 55 balls, guiding India to a 2-0 series lead. His innings, marked by composure and smart strike farming, was reminiscent of Virat Kohli’s chase-master performances.
England batted first and scored 165 for 9, with Jos Buttler (45) and Brydon Carse (31) leading the way. India’s bowlers, especially the spinners, dominated by taking six of the nine wickets in 14 overs while conceding 118 runs. Axar Patel (2-32) and Varun Chakravarthy (2-38) were the standout bowlers.
In response, India faced high pace and bounce from England’s bowlers, with Jofra Archer conceding 60 runs in his four overs. Varma’s crucial 19-run over off Archer in the 16th swung the game in India’s favor. Despite losing wickets regularly, India held their nerve to secure the win.
Arshdeep Singh struck early with a bouncer aimed across Phil Salt’s body, forcing a hook shot and claiming a wicket in his first over.
Washington Sundar, replacing the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy, made an immediate impact by taking a wicket with his very first delivery.
Varun Chakravarthy bowled brilliantly, dismissing Harry Brook through the gate on the batter’s first ball.
Axar Patel kept things tight, delivering crucial breakthroughs by removing Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone.
Despite losing wickets, England fought back with attacking intent. Buttler led the charge, scoring 45 off 30 balls. England reached 90 for 5 by the 12th over.
Smith and Carse Steady England’s Innings
Debutant Jamie Smith, replacing the unwell Jacob Bethell, showed promise early on. He treated Axar like a medium-pacer, lofting him over long-on. However, India seemed to take a risk by introducing Abhishek Sharma, their fifth spinner. Smith hit the part-timer for a six and a four off his first two balls but got out attempting another big shot, sending the ball straight to long-off.
Brydon Carse, brought in to strengthen the batting, showcased his all-round skills with a quick 31 off 17 balls, including three sixes. Two of these came off Varun, as he assumed all deliveries would either spin in or stay straight. However, a poorly judged second run led to his run-out, which proved costly in the final stages. The team managed only 29 runs in the last four overs.
Under the night sky, Archer and Mark Wood bowled with fiery pace. Wood delivered a sharp ball that swung back to dismiss Abhishek, though not before the opener had attacked Archer with three boundaries in the first over. Varma took it further, first cutting Archer for a four and then sweeping him for a massive six out of the stadium. Meanwhile, Archer managed to claim the wicket of Sanju Samson with his pace.
TILAK VARMA
Buttler turned to Archer to gain an advantage, but Varma turned the game around. A top-edged six annoyed Archer, especially since Varma had done something similar earlier. However, it was the flat square-cut six that truly stunned him. Things got worse when Arshdeep managed a boundary despite toe-ending the shot; Archer, distracted by Arshdeep stepping away, wasn’t aiming at the stumps.
Buttler then gambled with Rashid. Varma took most of the strike, leaving Arshdeep just one ball to face, which he swung at and got caught at deep square leg, much like Axar earlier.
Carse bowled another tight over, leaving 13 runs needed off the last two overs. Buttler took another risk, but Varma could only score three runs from the first four balls. The lower-order batsmen struggled for consistency—Ravi Bishnoi swung hard at Livingstone, and although he edged the ball, it flew just over short third.