3 areas of concern for England from the 2nd T20I against India
A flat performance from England in the 2nd T20I against India on Sunday saw them lose by 7 wickets and concede the advantage they gained by winning the series opener.
Jason Roy was one of the only bright spots for England with the bat as he scored 46 off 35 balls in the first innings. In the second essay, Sam Curran returned figures of 1/22 from his 4 overs and bowled smartly throughout.
The visitors need to head back to the drawing board ahead of the 3rd T20I, which is scheduled to take place at the same venue on Tuesday. Here are 3 areas of concern for England from the 2nd T20I against India.
#3 England's fielding was sub-par
England are arguably the best limited-overs side in the world, and a big reason behind their success has been their fielding. But in the 2nd T20I against India, they let themselves down.
Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan were the chief architects of the run-chase, and both players received lifelines. In the 5th over, the Indian skipper glanced a ball from Chris Jordan very fine. Although wicket-keeper Jos Buttler got both hands to it, the ball evaded his grasp and flew to the fine-leg boundary.
Then, in the 8th over, Adil Rashid forced a false shot out of Kishan, who miscued a loft down to long-on. Ben Stokes made a meal of the catch after attempting to go for the reverse-cup, and Kishan rubbed salt into his words by hitting the leg-spinner for consecutive sixes in the next over.
Kishan and Kohli scored 56 and 73* respectively, and both batsmen made the most of their chances. The LED lights at the Narendra Modi Stadium may have been the culprit (at least for Stokes), and England need to find a way to adjust to the new conditions at the earliest.
#2 The composition of the middle order
With Jos Buttler and Jason Roy opening the batting, England's middle order wears a slightly unfamiliar look.
Captain Eoin Morgan is one of the best #4 batsmen in the world, but he's batting one position lower to accommodate Jonny Bairstow. Ben Stokes is too good to be batting at No. 6, and he's followed by another extremely capable batsman in Sam Curran.
Batting depth is always desirable, but England seem to be failing to tap the immense potential of Morgan, Stokes and Curran. And Bairstow appears to be wasted at No. 4, especially given how well he has opened the batting in the ODI format.
England might consider moving Buttler down the order, with Morgan taking his rightful place at No. 4 and Stokes at No. 5. Bairstow and Roy have an excellent understanding of each other's game, and could form a deadly opening combination in T20 cricket as well.
#1 The spin attack
Of the 6 England wickets that fell on Sunday, three were to the Indian spinners - Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal. While the former tempted Bairstow and Roy into hoicks across the line, Chahal trapped Dawid Malan in front on the sweep.
England, however, didn't have many spin options. Although dew did play a role in the second innings, Adil Rashid was the sixth bowler to be introduced into the attack. The leg-spinner created a chance straightaway, and perhaps wouldn't have gone for 38 runs in his 4 overs had Stokes held on.
An extra spin option is something England need to find, not only for this series but for the upcoming T20 World Cup as well. Joe Root, who played a crucial role with the ball in the 2016 T20 World Cup final, isn't part of the shortest-format setup anymore.
As a result, England's only options are Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone, both of whom are warming the bench at the moment. One of the two could make his way into the team for the 3rd T20I.