Jacob Bethell powers England to victory over India in Second T20I

LONDON: An unbeaten masterclass from Jacob Bethell powered England to a thrilling six-wicket victory over India in the second T20I. Chasing a formidable target of 191, the hosts crossed the finish line with four balls to spare, claiming a 1-0 lead in the five-match series after the opening fixture was washed out.

Bethell played a match-winning innings of 76 not out off 46 balls, smashing five sixes and five fours. He was well supported by skipper Harry Brook and Tom Banton, who scored 39 runs each to help England reach the target comfortably.

Earlier, India won the toss and elected to bat first, posting 190/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma and captain Shreyas Iyer were the top contributors with the bat. Ishan narrowly missed a half-century, scoring 49 off 40 balls with eight fours and a six. Abhishek Sharma gave India a brisk start with 43 off 24 deliveries, including eight boundaries and a six. Shreyas Iyer added 37 runs from 22 balls in the middle order.

Fifteen-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who made his international debut in the match, scored 14 runs off 10 balls, including two sixes. For England, pacer Sam Curran was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/33.

For India, Arshdeep Singh claimed three wickets, but spinner Ravi Bishnoi endured a difficult outing, conceding 60 runs in his four overs.