England beat India by five wickets. (Source: AP)
England beat India by five wickets in the second T20I at Cardiff to level the series 1-1. Alex Hales emerged as the star for the home team as England chased down a target of 149 in a nailbiting finish. 12 runs were required off the last over as Hales smashed a six and a four to help his side romp home with two balls to spare. For team India, it was a bad day at the office as their batsmen and bowlers failed to click in unison which resulted in their first loss after seven successive games. Skipper Virat Kohli also highlighted the failure at the top of the order and complimented the opposition for tackling the wrist spinners. Stating that England were the better team on the day, Kohli complemented Morgan and his men for doing their homework right.
Speaking at the post-match presentation Kohli said, “When you lose 3 wickets in the first 6 overs for 30 runs it’s difficult to come back. I thought a partnership would get us to 145, and that would have been competitive. England made good use of the wicket which had some extra bounce. We were pushed back initally in the first six.”
“Our powerplay was not good enough, and the score, in the end, reflects that. You do consider everything into account, like the pitch, etc. We did well and we knew it would be difficult for England to chase down 149, and I think they had the partnership we didn’t to close it off in the end. They played Kuldeep worked really well. They did their homework on Kuldeep and they reaped the rewards. I think we competed quite well but England were the better side, that’s why they came through today. We gotta brush it aside and move onto the next game,” he added.
Meanwhile, England skipper Eoin Morgan applauded his boys for their all-round effort and hoped to continue with the momentum which they gained at Cardiff. “To come back from Old Trafford, we played quite well. When there is bounce in the wicket there is certainly a chance to take wickets upfront, and we did that,” Morgan said.
“Willey did well and Jake Ball was great on debut. The momentum does ebb and flow, and the side that grabs the moment will definitely win the game. Alex was fantastic today. We normally play spin well, and the guys had good confidence coming into the series and they stuck to the plans and executed extremely well today,” he added.