IND v ENG, 2nd T20I performance: England playing XI's report card
An insipid batting performance and some loose bowling saw England fall to a 7-wicket defeat at India's hands in the 2nd T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
After being put in to bat, the visitors struggled to keep the boundaries flowing on a pitch that was on the slower side. Only captain Eoin Morgan touched a strike rate of 140 as England managed 164/6 in their allotted 20 overs. India comfortably chased down the target with over 2 overs to spare, as Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan both slammed fifties.
Here is the report card for the England playing XI from the 2nd T20I against India.
IND v ENG, 2nd T20I: England Player Ratings
Jason Roy: 7.5/10
Roy continued from where he left off in the 1st T20I, and scored 46 off 35 balls to be England's top scorer. However, the opener was bogged down at various parts of his innings by some tight bowling from India, and was forced to resort to some wild hoicks and reverse-sweeps.
Jos Buttler: 0.5/10
An inswinger from Bhuvneshwar Kumar saw Buttler walk back for a first-ball duck after being trapped in front. The wicket-keeper's day only got worse as he dropped Virat Kohli down the leg-side in the powerplay. The Indian captain finished on an unbeaten 73, and Buttler was left ruing what could've been.
Dawid Malan: 6/10
Malan is not the kind of batsman who gets going immediately, but he has been able to kick on more often than not. That didn't happen in this game though, as he missed a routine leg-break from Yuzvendra Chahal while batting on 24. The southpaw struggled to find the gaps during some phases of his 23-ball stay at the crease.
Jonny Bairstow: 5.5/10
Batting at No. 4 instead of Morgan, Bairstow ran hard between the wickets but scored only 20 off 15 balls before skying a flighted delivery from Washington Sundar. He was also dropped on the boundary, and needs to justify making his captain bat below him.
Eoin Morgan: 6.5/10
Morgan tried his best to inject some momentum into the England innings, and hit 4 fours before being deceived by a slower ball from Shardul Thakur. The England skipper really does need to bat where he belongs - at No. 4.
Ben Stokes: 4/10
Stokes was another batsman who struggled for timing on a slow pitch, with his 24 featuring only 1 boundary and coming off 21 balls. Although his scratchy innings didn't help England at the death, he had the opportunity to make up for it in the second essay. Stokes couldn't do that, as his only over went for 17 runs and he dropped a sitter off Kishan's bat in the deep.
Sam Curran: 7.5/10
The pick of the bowlers for England, Sam Curran troubled and sent back KL Rahul while conceding only 22 runs in his 4 overs. The young left-armer was a handful with his cutters and subtle variations, and got some swing early on as well.
Chris Jordan: 3/10
Jordan was hideously expensive in the 2.5 overs he bowled as he went for 38 runs. Rishabh Pant's wicket was only a consolation for the pacer, who got his lengths and lines all wrong on Sunday.
Jofra Archer: 6/10
Archer was quietly effective with his 4 overs going for 24 runs, but he didn't offer the wicket-taking threat England needed. The 1st T20I's Man of the Match was safely negotiated by Kishan and Kohli, and looked devoid of ideas when the pitch didn't offer assistance.
Tom Curran: 1/10
Coming into the team in place of the injured Mark Wood, the other Curran had a glorious opportunity to make a name for himself. However, he bowled 2 overs for 26 runs, with Kishan doing the bulk of the damage in the final over of the powerplay. He's certain to lose his place in the side when Wood returns.
Adil Rashid: 4/10
England's sole spinner had a fruitful outing in the 1st T20I, but he couldn't make an impression against the left-handed hitting prowess of Kishan and Rishabh Pant. Although he claimed the wicket of the former, the leggie conceded 38 runs in his 4 overs.