India vs England, 2nd T20I: Player Ratings
England defeated India by five wickets in the second T20I at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Friday to level the three-match T20I series 1-1.
The decision to field first proved to be the right one as England reduced India to 22 for 3 in the eighth over of the innings, but a 57-run stand between Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina restored the innings before the latter fell for 27.
Then, the skipper was joined by MS Dhoni and the duo kept the scoreboard ticking along, even as the fours and sixes dried thanks to some fine bowling by the hosts.
Kohli fell for 47, but Dhoni motored on and smashed an unbeaten 32 off 24 balls, including 22 runs off the final over from Jake Ball that propelled India to 148 for 5 in their 20 overs.
In reply, Umesh Yadav provided the early breakthroughs by removing both Jason Roy and Jos Buttler early, but Alex Hales set himself in to play the anchor knock, first sharing a 48-run stand with skipper Eoin Morgan and then with Jonny Bairstow, who played the match-winning cameo, making 28 off 18 balls to seal the game.
The action now shifts to the County Ground in Bristol, where the third and final T20I will be played on Sunday.
Here are the ratings for players from both teams:
India
Shikhar Dhawan- 2/10
The opener had a poor outing with the bat for a second straight game, getting runout in an unusual fashion for 10, but contributed in the field with a terrific catch on the long-leg boundary to send Eoin Morgan back to the pavilion.
Rohit Sharma-1/10
Rohit Sharma did not get going with the bat on Friday, falling for a mere 5 runs.
KL Rahul- 1/10
The hero from the last game with the bat, KL Rahul had a forgettable match on Friday, scoring just 6 runs.
Virat Kohli- 5/10
The skipper's knock of 47 from 38 balls helped India recover from a poor start and then his catch to remove Jos Buttler ensured that the hosts did not get off to a flier in their chase of 149.
Suresh Raina- 3/5/10
The left-hander helped India recover after an early stutter left them at 22 for 3, scoring 27 runs and sharing a key stand with the skipper
MS Dhoni- 5/10
The former skipper played the crucial unbeaten knock of 32 that took India to 148, including taking 22 runs off the final over from Jake Ball.
Hardik Pandya- 3.5/10
Pandya scored 12 runs with the bat, but it was with the ball that he impressed, with figures of 1 for 28 in his 4 overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar- 3.5/10
The seamer began well at the start but faltered at the end when Alex Hales took him for 12 runs to help his side win the game.
Umesh Yadav- 7.5/10
The best bowler on show for India. Yadav removed both openers right at the start of the innings and bowled an excellent second-last over to keep India in the game, right until the end.
Kuldeep Yadav- 3/10
The hero with the ball from the previous game, Kuldeep Yadav could not replicate his performance from Manchester in Cardiff on Friday, going for 34 runs in 4 overs without taking a wicket.
Yuzvendra Chahal- 3.5/10
His wrist spin partner- Yuzvendra Chahal- had a much better outing, taking 1 for 28 in his 4 overs.