England vs India 2nd T20I Full Commentary

Welcome back for England's reply. Shreyas Iyer has a few final words for his troops in the Indian huddle before they spread out onto the field. Phil Salt and Jos Buttler will open the innings for England. Arshdeep Singh has the new ball in hand. Phil to face the first ball. Away we go...

... THE RUN CHASE ...

Will 190 be enough?  It has been that kind of surface with something on offer for everyone. The quicks have enjoyed good pace and bounce, while the spinners have also found enough grip from the surface. India have three spinners who will be eager to exploit those conditions while England boast plenty of batting depth and will back themselves to chase this down. It should be an interesting chase. Stick around!

Curran and Jacks deliver - Ishan tried to force the pace but never quite found the next gear he was searching for, while Shivam Dube endured a scratchy stay at the crease. Will Jacks and Sam Curran combined well against India's left-hand-heavy batting line-up despite having to bowl with the shorter leg-side boundary in play for the left-handers. It was Tilak Varma who struck a few crucial blows at the end to lift the visitors to a competitive 190.

Trading blows early - Abhishek Sharma swung like a rusty gate as he struggled to come to terms with the pace and bounce on offer before he got himself going, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also got a couple of sixes away. The Powerplay ended with the two sides trading blows as India lost both openers but scored 65 runs. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan then came together to lay the platform, scoring at close to 10 an over, with Iyer looking the more fluent of the two. However, his dismissal opened the door for England, who capitalised on the breakthrough to wrest back control of the innings.

England keep India in check - 28 runs came off the last two overs, but England will be pleased with the way they pulled things back. After being 130/3 with 7 overs to go, India could only manage 60 runs in the next 7 to end up with a total that feels a bit under par.

Jofra Archer (3-0-23-0) to close out the innings.

Harshit Rana is in at number 8.

Josh Tongue to bowl the 19th over. 3-0-35-0 so far for the debutant.

A brief hold-up in play as the umpires sort out who should be on strike for the next ball. There is a bit of confusion in the middle, but it is eventually confirmed that since the batters had crossed before the catch was taken, it will be a single and Axar Patel will be on strike.

Did that carry? Jofra Archer does not look overly confident. The third umpire is called into action. The ball has burst through Archer's fingers and hit the ground. NOT OUT flashes on the big screen. Jofra appears to have hurt himself in the process of attempting the catch, and the physio is out to attend to him.

Axar Patel is the new batter.

On to the next one - England move 1-0 up in the five-match series and will take plenty of heart from this win. India, on the other hand, have some soul searching to do. They stuck to five bowlers in defence of the total, but execution let them down, and they'll look to bounce back with the ball in the third T20I at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. It will be played on Tuesday, 7th July, 2026, with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 4.30 pm GMT (10 pm IST). But before that, a thrilling Sunday is on the cards as the Grand Finale of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup, 2026, will be played between England Women and Australia Women at Lord's. So do join us to catch all the action from that match. But from here, it's a wrap. Goodbye, cheers!

The victorious captain of England - Harry Brook says he is extremely pleased with the performance. He praises the effort of his team, saying they toiled hard in the field and executed their plans well. Mentions that they knew they could chase the target considering the wind and one shorter boundary. Shares that they took the dimensions of the ground and the wind into account as best as they could while bowling. Feels that it is important to maximise the Powerplay even if a few early wickets fall. He also praises Jacob Bethell for his knock, saying he is remarkably mature for his age.

The Indian captain - Shreyas Iyer, when asked about where the game slipped, says everyone knows where it turned, but he does not want to single out any one player. He says he expected the bowler in question to come back strong, but the 17th over ended up haunting them, adding that he (Bishnoi) will learn from it. About the total, he calls it a phenomenal score given the variable bounce on the pitch. He says India were on top through the first 15 overs, but credit has to go to the way Jacob played. On Sam Curran's bowling, he says Curran worked out the dimensions of the ground early and gave India no room, adding that many of the batters rely on using the width to play through the off side, and Curran denied them exactly that. On Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, he says he has an unflinching, fearless attitude, and the way he bats in the nets is something to learn from. He says he did not expect him to look nervous, and found the way he stepped up on debut pleasing. About three straight losses and India's ability to bounce back, he says they are always in high spirits and believes this is as low as it gets, with the only way from here being up.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH - JACOB BETHELL deservedly receives the award for his unbeaten and match-winning 76 off 46. Bethell says that Harry Brook set the tone really well, which made it easier for him early on as he looked to give Brook the strike. He adds that Tom Banton also chipped in. Believes that in such chases, a couple of big overs make the chase much easier. Opines that it is important to adapt to the dimensions of different grounds, and when one side is easier to clear the ropes, the longer side allows batters to pick up twos. He says he really enjoyed his semi-final knock against India, and he always wants to perform well against the big teams.

... Time for the post-match Presentation ...

Pitch played its tricks - England and India both walked off unsure what this total actually meant. The pitch had bounce early and gripped through the middle, letting Rashid find turn, while Archer's 1/40 undersold just how well he bowled. Iyer and Abhishek Sharma were the only two who batted with real fluency. Kishan's 49 never quite flowed, and Dube struggled to get going throughout. Momentum swung back and forth all evening, from Archer's fiery opening burst to India's settled start, then a double breakthrough that shifted things back, before Iyer and Kishan's stand pulled India ahead again. Curran used his variations adroitly to claw back the middle overs, and Varma's late hitting rounded things off. Slower balls stuck, hard lengths climbed awkwardly, and in the end, this pitch had the last word.

Two B's combined - Bethell and Banton, though, kept England in the hunt by cashing in on anything loose, and crucially, kept finding a boundary every over to stop the asking rate from running away. The two formed a crucial 67-run stand and picked their moments against the Indian spin trio. However, the likes of Axar and Arshdeep brought India back into the game as England slipped down from 118/3 to 133/5. But Bethell kept the fight on and produced one of the finest knocks in the run chase he has ever played. And of course, it included a bit of generosity from Ravi Bishnoi, who conceded 29 runs in that 17th over, which virtually ended the game for India. The story of the evening looked set to belong to India's wonder boy, Sooryavanshi. Instead, it was England's golden boy, Bethell, who signed off in style.

Early slip, then rebuild - England couldn't have gotten off to a worse start by losing both their openers on a duck inside the very first over. Arshdeep just landed two blows to keep India ahead from the get-go. But Brook came out with a solid counterattacking mindset. He brought the chase back on track with his blitz, but his fun was ended by Axar just when he looked ominous. At 51/3, England were pushed back for a rebuild. From there, everything hinged on India's spinners having a big day, and finger spin proved far more effective than wrist spin on this Old Trafford surface, the bowlers finding more help off the pitch than through the air. The run rate did drop as soon as the slow bowlers combined.

England take the lead in fine fashion - An inning of the highest quality from the young Jacob Bethell, who just keeps bettering his credentials across formats for England. He's produced back-to-back big knocks against India in the shortest format now. First, that extraordinary 105 in Mumbai, in the T20 World Cup semifinal, though he couldn't get his team over the line that night. But tonight, an unbeaten 76 does the job. Heartbreak for India. They were right there in the hunt, but in the end, their bowling lacked the bite, and just as importantly, the control to go with it.

Penultimate over coming up. Who knows, it could well be the final over of the game. England need 10 from 12 balls. Arshdeep Singh will bowl out. 3-0-30-3 so far.

9 from the over, with a ball to go.

Is there any twist left? You can't rule anything out in this format. With 12 needed from 14 balls, Jofra Archer is the new batter in.

England are clear favorites now. They need just 20 runs from 18 balls. A bowling change, as Harshit Rana (2-0-20-0) is back on.

Is that a four? Arshdeep dives to his right, trying to keep it out, but his hand can't quite get to the ball, and it cannons off his thigh as he tumbles over the ropes. It's ruled a clean save in the end, but Arshdeep is down, clutching his right shoulder in pain. He still has an over left to bowl, and India would hope that it is nothing serious.