India beat England by two wickets in the second T20I in Chennai

India vs England 2nd T20I: Tilak Verma Guides India to victory with unbeaten 72, Leading by 2-0 Against England in the Series

Chennai, January 25, 2025 India’s performance in the second T20I at Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, was enough to lead the series to 2-1 after winning by 2 wickets. The highlight of the match and the main reason for India’s success was Tilak Varma’s brilliant innings 72 off 55 in India’s chase of 166 runs.

A Scary Beginning for India’s Chase

While chasing 166, India got off to a rocky start and lost some wickets early on. Abhishek Sharma, who was the man of the match in the previous game, seemed to be in form but unfortunately scored only 12 runs in 6 balls, and India’s score was then 15/1. Then Sanju Samson could not build on the inning, scoring only 5 runs, and the team was at 19/2 after 3 overs.

Suryakumar Yadav, the skipper, was looking to play aggressively but perished during the powerplay. India’s score at the end of 6 overs was 59/3, and middle order had a difficult task at hand.

Hardik Pandya (7) and Dhruv Jurel (4) were unable to steady the innings as the Indian batters were kept under pressure by the English bowlers. At the 13th over with a score of 113/5, the match was evenly poised.

Tilak Varma: Player of the match

In the messy situation, Tilak Varma exhibited wisdom. Taking the aggressive approach, Tilak anchored the innings with confidence and patiently converted a perfect blend of risks into strokeplay. He was aided by Washington Sundar, who made a useful 26 off 19 balls.

Even when India began to falter at 146/8 in the 17th over, losing Axar Patel (2) and Arshdeep Singh (6), Tilak, together with Ravi Bishnoi (9 off 5) managed to get the scoring rate going to ensure that it was smooth sailing from there on. With four balls left, he was able to finish it off in style, and sealing the game for the India.

Having made a century earlier in the series against South Africa, Varma’s tireless performance is continued during this series also without losing his wicket, which earned him the Player of the Match title today for his commendable batting exhibition. This inning further proved his ability to stay composed, think strategically, and deal with high-pressure situations, which makes him a tremendous asset for the team.

England’s Innings: A Modest Total

Today India won the toss and decided to field. However, England’s innings did not get off on the right foot, with opener Phil Salt getting out for 4 runs in the very first over to the bowling of Arshdeep Singh.

Jos Buttler continued his good form and scored 45 runs off 30 balls before he got out to Axar Patel. England’s total was also aided by Brydon Carse, who scored at a strike rate of 182 and made 31 runs off just 17 balls, and Jamie Smith, who scored 22 runs at a strike rate of 183 in just 12 balls. Ultimately, England managed to post a total of 165 runs, losing 9 wickets in the 20 overs.

The Indian bowlers were disciplined with their line and lengths. Varun Chakravarthy was especially effective, taking out Harry Brook and Jamie Overton. Axar Patel also took two wickets, whereas one wicket each was claimed by Arshdeep, Hardik Pandya, and Washington Sundar.

India now leads 2-0 in the five-match series after this victory and will now aim to look for a clean sweep to win the remaining matches