ENG vs IND 2nd T20I: Hits and Flops as India takes an unassailable 2-0 leadย
An inspired bowling performance from India saw them beat England in the second T20I by 49 runs at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Saturday (July 9). With this comprehensive victory, the Men in Blue have now registered their fourth consecutive T20I series win against England.
After being put to bat first on a track that had something for the quicker bowlers, the Indian team posted 170/8. Rohit Sharma (31 off 20) and Rishabh Pant (26 off 15) provided India with a flying start before the innings took a bump in the middle overs.
Ravindra Jadeja then, with his 46* off 29, made India register a comeback in the game.
Chasing 171, the hosts never looked cogent and lost wickets at regular intervals. Every Indian bowler picked up, at least, one wicket, barring Jadeja. The Jos Buttler-led unit was bundled out for 121 in 17 overs.
On that note, let's look at the hits and flops from the second T20I between India and England.
#4. Flop - Jason Roy (England)
England's destructive opener Jason Roy has looked a shadow of himself in the ongoing T20I series against India. The 31-year-old struggled for 16 balls and scored just four runs during his stay at the crease in the previous game.
Things went from bad to worse in the second T20I for Roy as he was dismissed for a golden duck. Playing the first delivery of the England innings, Roy threw his bat on an outside-off delivery from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and managed a thick edge into Rohit's hands at first slip.
What's more, the South Africa-born English batter put down a simple catch of Rohit at point which cost England 30 runs in the first innings.
#3. Hit - Richard Gleeson
It was almost a dream debut for English pacer Richard Gleeson. The Lancashire lad couldn't have asked for a better start to his T20I career as he sent Indian team's top three batters packing - skipper Rohit, Virat Kohli, and Rishabh Pant.
The tall right-arm pacer, who is known for his subtle variations, used his back-of-length deliveries to great effect and shifted the game in England's favor single-handedly.
He might have ended on the losing side, but it was certainly a debut to remember for Richard Gleeson ๐คฉ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ
#ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/5Wtbzu5Uix
With one maiden over to his name, Gleeson's economy of 3.8 was highly beneficial to the home side. He finished the innings with extraordinary figures of 4-1-15-3.
#2. Flop - Virat Kohli (India)
๐๐
#ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/rDMM5psix4
Virat Kohli's lean patch continued as he once again flopped with the bat and registered just one off three balls in the 2nd T20I in Birmingham.
The star batter made a comeback to the side after being rested for the first T20I, but failed to make an impact. On the first ball of the sixth over, Kohli attempted to play a big shot on the leg side against debutant pacer Richard Gleeson.
The Delhi-born dasher threw the kitchen sink at the shot and got a top edge which flew to backward point, where Dawid Malan took a fantastic catch.
With several youngsters waiting in the wing, including Deepak Hooda, whose scores in the last three games are 47, 104, and 33, pressure is bound to mount on Kohli. The right-hander will hope to make amends for his poor show in the third T20I in Nottingham.
#1. Hit - Bhuvneshwar Kumar (India)
Veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar overpowered England's batters once more as he starred with the ball for his team on Saturday.
He first set the perfect tone for the visitors by dismissing Jason Roy on the first ball before adding the wickets of Jos Buttler in his next over. Bhuvneshwar's contribution was massive for India as it put the hosts on the backfoot and gained the visitors an upper hand.
Jason Roy
โ๏ธ Jason Roy
โ๏ธ Jos Buttler
โ๏ธ Richard Gleeson
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was once again the standout performer with the ball for India and was deservingly named the Player of the Match ๐๐ฎ๐ณ
#ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/KNyRKCG85c
The right-armer then came back and capped off his day with his third wicket in the form of Gleeson.
For a few months now, Bhuvneshwar has been a key performer for the Men in Blue in white-ball cricket. Not only is he keeping the opposition bowlers quiet but is also finding success in picking up wickets with the new ball on a regular basis.
On the back of his impressive performance of 3-1-15-3, Bhuvneshwar was adjudged as the Player of the Match.