CHENNAI: If Friday was a caution note for India's aggressive batting approach, Sunday showed the damage they can inflict on the opposition with it. After their five-bowler strategy, which might not work on all days, restricted England to 164, Ishan Kishan, who handed debut in place of the seasoned Shikhar Dhawan showed what he could bring to the table as India defeated England by seven wickets in the second T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
That India were not going to abandon their approach after one defeat was a given. But all eyes were on how the response is going to be. In that sense, the only surprise was on the bowling front, where Virat Kohli had only five options to choose from. Playing with limited options mean even if one bowler has an off-day, there is no choice other than to continue with him. Luckily for India, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur – was exceptional at the death – conceded only 86 off their 12 overs, accounting for five wickets. While Hardik Pandya and Yuzvendra Chahal ended up being expensive, going for 67 runs in eight overs, India didn't feel the pinch against an England batting line-up that never found the momentum on a pitch where stroke-making was not easy.
Chasing 165 to level the series, India lost KL Rahul early for zero in the first over. But Ishan in the company of Kohli, not only steadied the ship but also put India in a winning position before the captain took the side home with help from Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. In a side where the competition for berths is high, India invented a new one. Just days after stating that Dhawan will be India's third-choice opener, his omission from the XI for the second match with Rohit Sharma continued to be rested, showed India are perhaps looking ahead of the left-hander.
Why wouldn't they when they have a more exciting, versatile option in Ishan. Apart from being a left-hander like Dhawan, Ishan can be slotted anywhere in the batting line-up, a luxury not many in this squad can offer. The 22-year-old may not be muscular but has a reputation of being a fearsome striker in the IPL and he showed he can do it on the international stage too, scoring 56 off 32 balls in an innings that included five boundaries and four sixes to rattle England. While Kohli top-scored with 73 in an innings true to his character, India would be happy with what Ishan brings to the table going into the World Cup.
What also stood out on Sunday was how quickly India learned from their mistakes. While they didn't abandon their aggressive approach, they were more judicious when it came to shot selection playing to the merit of the delivery. If their top-three got out trying to manufacture shots in the first match, here they were aggressive by being in their elements. There is still work to be done, especially when they bat first, often appearing lost what an ideal total to put up. Chasing the total, they could afford to be calculative, and with arguably the best chaser in the middle allowed Ishan to be a lot more expressive. Needless to say Ishan shone. And so did India.
Brief scores: England 164/6 in 20 ovs (Roy 46) lost to India 166/3 in 17.5 ovs (Kohli 73 n.o, Kishan 56).