India vs England: 3 Decisions From Virat Kohli That Helped India Conquer The Second T20I

Indian skipper Virat Kohli made quite a few changes for the second T20i and it paid immediate rewards as India beat England convincingly to level the series 1-1. England beat India in the first T20 of the five-match series and a lot of questions raised on the team selection but Virat Kohli answered it in a brilliant way and also improved his own personal form with 73 not out.

England was sent out to bat and they were well set for a big score at the halfway mark. However, the Indian team staged a strong comeback in the last five overs giving away just 35 runs and picking wickets at regular intervals. Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur were excellent with the ball and England managed to post 20 runs less than they would have liked with a par score of 164 which wasn’t enough for the Indian batting lineup.

3 Decisions From Virat Kohli That Helped India Conquer The Second T20I:

Inclusion of Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav:

Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav broke into the playing XI for the first time to replace Shikhar Dhawan and Axar Patel. India played with five bowlers including Hardik Pandya as the fifth bowler. It did work out really well for Virat Kohli as Ishan Kishan showed pure class with phenomenal striking against one of the World’s best bowling attacks and did not look like it was his first game.

Kishan became the second Indian batsman after Ajinkya Rahane to score a fifty on debut in an international T20 and he perished after a well made 56 off just 32 deliveries with five fours and four sixes. He played with a lot of courage and did not show any nervousness despite being on debut. Suryakumar Yadav did not bat and will have to wait for his opportunity while he picked up a crucial catch in the first innings.

Giving Washington Sundar The New Ball:

Washington Sundar was deprived of his new-ball duties in the last T20 which wasn’t the right choice and Virat Kohli brought in Sundar in the powerplay for the second T20 which proved to be effective. Washington Sundar has been a very economical bowler in the last two years and he is more suited to bowling in the powerplay.

He repaid the faith of the captain by picking two crucial wickets of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow who were cruising at one stage. His accurate line and lengths at a very good pace makes it hard for the batsman to go after him and he can be a handy batsman at eight as well.

Picking Up Two Keepers In The XI With One Playing As Specialist Batsman:

India went in with two wicketkeepers for the second T20 with the intention that one of them can play as a specialist batsman. It was a good move as Ishan Kishan was sent up the order to open the batting and he flourished with a lot of boundaries during the run chase. His fine half-century on debut provided the much-needed start and declined the hopes of England defending the score. Once he was dismissed, Rishabh Pant joined hands with Virat Kohli at the crease.

Rishabh Pant smashed boundaries once he came on and scored a quickfire 26 off 13 deliveries with two sixes and two fours which took the game away from England. Pant after showing good form in the Test series was due to an increase in his T20 numbers which aren’t matching his potential and he would hope to score big in the remaining T20s against England to cement his place for the T20 world cup.