India Beat England in T20 Thriller, Take 2-0 Series Lead

Tilak Varma's unbeaten 72 guided India to a thrilling two-wicket win over England in the second T20 international.

Tilak Varma played a stellar innings, scoring an unbeaten 72 to guide India to a thrilling two-wicket victory over England in the second T20 international on Saturday. India was chasing a challenging target of 166, and despite losing regular wickets, Varma remained calm and composed throughout his 55-ball knock. He expertly steered the team home with four balls to spare in Chennai, helping India take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

England's fast bowler Brydon Carse posed a significant threat to the Indian team, returning impressive figures of 3-29. His efforts helped reduce India to 146-8, but Varma continued to anchor the innings. Alongside number 10 Ravi Bishnoi, Varma managed to secure the win, hitting the decisive boundary. The match went down to the wire, with India requiring 20 runs from 18 balls and then 13 runs from the final 12 balls. Bishnoi provided valuable support to Varma, scoring an unbeaten nine and hitting two crucial fours.

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, “Good to see we are playing aggressive brand of cricket, at the same time, guys put their hands up and stitched the small partnerships. Very happy with the way Tilak batted, something to learn for everyone.” England captain Jos Buttler also praised Varma's performance, saying, “Great game. Really exciting end, credit to Tilak for getting them over the line. We created a lot of chances, really pushed them close.”

No better feeling than playing for my country 🇮🇳❤️ pic.twitter.com/ABKvP1qD6o

— Tilak Varma (@TilakV9) January 25, 2025

England's new-ball pair, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, made an early impact, dismissing the Indian openers within the first three overs. Brydon Carse then took center stage, making an instant impact with the ball in his first two overs. Carse bowled Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav for 12, after the batsman inside-edged a quick delivery onto his stumps. He then dismissed Dhruv Jurel in his next over, dealing a significant blow to the Indian team. Jamie Overton further added to India's woes, sending Hardik Pandya back to the pavilion for seven, as India stumbled to 78-5 in 9.1 overs.

England's Batting Performance

England captain Jos Buttler began aggressively, despite the team losing openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett early on. Salt was caught off Arshdeep Singh's fourth ball, marking the left-arm quick's 98th T20 wicket in 62 matches. Washington Sundar then dismissed Duckett with his first ball, enticing him into an attempted reverse sweep.

Buttler and Harry Brook subsequently launched a counterattack, hitting several sixes and fours. However, Brook's innings was short-lived, lasting only eight balls for 13 runs before being bowled by Varun Chakravarthy. The English wickets continued to fall, with left-arm spinner Axar Patel dismissing Buttler and Liam Livingstone, both for 13 runs.

Jamie Smith provided a late surge, scoring 22 runs off 12 balls. Brydon Carse also took on the spinners, hitting two consecutive sixes off Chakravarthy before being run out. Despite these efforts, England's batting performance ultimately proved insufficient to secure a win.