Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook stun India as England seal thrilling chase in 2nd T20I

India appeared well after setting a challenging target but England displayed fearless batting under pressure to complete a remarkable chase in the second T20I at Old Trafford, Saturday. A brilliant partnership, led by Jacob Bethell and Harry Brook, helped the hosts chase down the target with one over to spare and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Despite India’s bowlers making an ideal start, England kept attacking throughout the chase and eventually crossed the line by four wickets.

Arshdeep’s dream start puts England under pressure

India could not have asked for a better beginning with the ball. Arshdeep Singh struck with the very first delivery of the innings, dismissing Phil Salt, before removing Jos Buttler for a duck in the same over.

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England suddenly found themselves at 1/2, with India firmly on top after an outstanding opening over.

However, that advantage disappeared quickly as England captain Harry Brook launched a stunning counterattack.

Brook changes the game inside the powerplay

Brook refused to let India’s bowlers settle. He first attacked Harshit Rana before taking apart Arshdeep Singh in the third over.

The England skipper hammered 27 runs in a single over, smashing three sixes and three boundaries to completely swing the momentum.

From struggling at 1/2, England raced to 38/2 within three overs and suddenly looked in complete control of the chase.

India eventually broke the momentum when Axar Patel trapped Brook after a successful review. Brook’s explosive 39 came from just 15 deliveries and gave England exactly the start they needed.

Bethell anchors England’s successful chase

While Brook provided the early fireworks, Jacob Bethell played the innings that took England home.

The left-hander batted with maturity, rotated the strike smartly and punished every loose delivery. Tom Banton also played an important role, scoring 39 as the pair rebuilt the innings after the early collapse.

India fought back through Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy, reducing England to a position where they still needed 49 runs from the final five overs.

The game, however, slipped away in the 17th over.

Ravi Bishnoi struggled with his rhythm, bowling two costly no-balls that handed England free hits. Bethell made India pay immediately, smashing three huge sixes and a boundary in an over that yielded 29 runs.

That over completely shifted the match in England’s favour.

Bethell remained unbeaten on 76 and calmly guided his side to victory, while Jofra Archer finished the chase as England reached 191/6 with an over remaining.

India recover well after middle-over slowdown

Earlier in the evening, India recovered strongly after losing momentum in the middle overs.

Teenage debutant Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave fans an exciting glimpse of his talent by hitting two sixes before being stumped for 14 on his international debut.

Abhishek Sharma continued his impressive form with a quickfire 43 off 24 balls before Ishan Kishan and captain Shreyas Iyer steadied the innings.

Ishan narrowly missed out on a half-century, scoring 49, while Iyer contributed a valuable 37 during an important partnership.

England slowed India’s scoring through Sam Curran, who used his variations effectively and finished with impressive figures of 3/33.

Just when India looked set for a total around 175, Tilak Varma provided the late acceleration. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 24 from only 11 deliveries, striking three sixes to lift India to 190/7.

England take early series advantage

India’s total looked competitive for large parts of the evening, especially after reducing England to 1/2 inside the opening over.

But Brook’s fearless batting during the powerplay and Bethell’s composed unbeaten knock proved decisive as England completed one of their finest T20 run chases at Old Trafford.

Brief Scores

India: 190/7 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 49, Abhishek Sharma 43, Tilak Varma 24*; Sam Curran 3/33)

England: 191/6 in 19 overs (Jacob Bethell 76*, Harry Brook 39, Tom Banton 39; Arshdeep Singh 3/40)

England won by four wickets and lead the five-match series 1-0.

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