India vs England 2021: Twitter Erupts As Ishan Kishan And Virat Kohli Guide Team India To A Dominating 7-Wicket Win

By Yash Mittal

Updated - 15 Mar 2021, 12:54 AM

India, England
Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan [Image-BCCI]

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A belligerent half-century from debutant Ishan Kishan [56 off 32 balls] and a typical Virat Kohli knock of 73* from 49 balls and Rishabh Pant’s spunk has helped Team India nail down the total of 164 in just 17.5 overs and draw-level the five-match series against England.

Chasing 165, India got off to the worst possible start as opener KL Rahul once again failed to open his account. Sam Curran bowled a beautiful first over in which he got the ball to move a bit.

Rahul looked very tentative and eventually proceeded to poke at an away-angler to give Jos Buttler an easy catch.  Debutant Ishan Kishan announced himself to the world with a flick off his legs for a boundary against Jofra Archer on the very first delivery he faced in international cricket. He backed it up with a disdainful pull off Sam Curran in the next over to pick up another boundary.

Captain Kohli pulled Jofra Archer for a boundary. However, he could have been easily dismissed in the 5th overs bowled by Chris Jordan after he proceeded to flick him off his legs but for Jos Buttler who missed a regulation catch. Kohli backed it up with a swivel hook past the backward square to pick up another boundary.

Ishan Kishan welcomed Tom Curran in the attack with a six over his face on the first ball of the 6th over and backed it up with a flat-batted cut past the cover-region for another boundary and if these two shots weren’t enough, he pulled Curran to pick another boundary as India ended the powerplay at 1/50.

India, England
Ishan Kishan [Image-BCCI]
Kishan was in that sort of mood where it absolutely did not matter who was bowling. After Virat Kohli mistimed the flick to get a six, Kishan followed it with another disdainful pull stroke for another maximum.

Adil Rashid was slog-swept for a boundary in his first over but he could have got Ishan Kishan after he mistimed the loft and chipped it straight to long-on but for Ben Stokes who dropped a straightforward catch. Rashid paid for it big time in the next over as Ishan Kishan smoked him for consecutive sixes to bring up his maiden T20I fifty (in just 28 deliveries).

India, England
Ishan Kishan [Image-BCCI]
Kishan became just the second Indian after Ajinkya Rahane to score a 50 on his T20I debut before Adil Rashid brought his innings to a close after he failed to nail the reverse-sweep and was trapped leg-before-wicket.

But there was no leeway for England as Rishabh Pant picked up from where Ishan Kishan as he smoked two fours and a couple of sixes during his 13-ball 26 before holing out to Chris Jordan.

Virat Kohli [Image-BCCI]
Captain Virat Kohli continued in his merry way and proceeded to bring up his 26th T20I fifty with a trademark six over deep mid-off, and to celebrate that, he smashed Chris Jordan with his typical flick for a four and then backed it up with a pull for a six to seal another successful run-chase for Team India.

 

Brilliant India restricted a power-packed England batting line-up to 6/164

Having opted to bowl first, Team India needed an early breakthrough to put pressure on the power-packed England batting line-up and that is exactly what they got from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Kumar, who is making a comeback to international cricket after a long layoff, picked up his first wicket since 2019 as he trapped Jos Buttler leg-before-wicket in his very first over.

However, Jason Roy picked off from where he had left in the first T20I, as he ensured that England kept the scoreboard ticking despite an early wicket.

Jason Roy and Dawid Malan [Image-BCCI]
Roy, along with Dawid Malan, made sure that they scored a boundary in almost every over as England racked up 44 runs in the powerplay.

Yuzvendra Chahal bowled a brilliant first over as he continuously lulled Jason Roy by tossing the ball wide of off-stump. However, he erred in his line on the 5th delivery and Roy duly deposited it over the mid-wicket boundary for a six.

Malan had struggled against spinners and he was eventually dismissed by Chahal in the 9th over when he failed to connect the sweep-shot.

Jason Roy [Image-BCCI]
The Indians went up in unison but the umpire, as he had done on the previous delivery when Malan had missed the reverse-sweep, but this time Virat Kohli opted to challenge the on-field call, and he was vindicated as the ball-tracking showed that the ball would have smasher the stumps.

Roy, however, continued in his merry way. He finally connected with his reverse-sweep against Chahal and proceeded to nail him for two boundaries in the same over.

However, just as it has happened in the last game, Washington Sundar ensured that Jason Roy (45 off 35 balls) did not get past his half-century as the opener mistimed an attempted hoike and Bhuneshwar Kumar completed an outstanding catch in the deep.

Washington Sundar could have had Jonny Bairstow on the second ball of his following over but Suryakumar Yadav failed to grab the catch at the deep midwicket boundary.

Team India [Image-BCCI]
However, Yadav redeemed himself three balls later after he took a juggling catch following a mistimed hoike by Bairstow.

With the ball stopping a bit on the surface, Indian seamers, especially Shardul Thakur, made brilliant use of his subtle variations.

Thakur (2-29 in 4 overs) dismissed the dangerous-looking Eoin Morgan (28 off 20), who was deceived by his off-cutter, and then Ben Stokes (24 off 21) as England managed just 35 runs in the last 5 overs- thanks to some brilliant bowling by Bhuvneshar and Thakur- to eventually post 6/164.

 

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

https://twitter.com/hershybru/status/1371143971594964993

https://twitter.com/benjonescricket/status/1371135845789540355?s=19

https://twitter.com/benjonescricket/status/1371131249507590145?s=19

https://twitter.com/Moulinparikh/status/1371129274074157059?s=19

https://twitter.com/im_yash2307/status/1371123851141074952?s=19

https://twitter.com/benjonescricket/status/1371119504504147969?s=19

https://twitter.com/Partho_das007/status/1371108609778622469?s=19

https://twitter.com/im_yash2307/status/1371113016079437830?s=19

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