Ahmedabad: India beat England by seven wickets in the second T20 International here on Sunday to level the five-match series.
Opener Ishan Kishan struck a sensational 56 off 32 balls while his skipper Virat Kohli made 73 not out off 49 balls to set up the win in 17.5 overs.
England opener Jason Roy scored 46 off 35 balls while skipper Eoin Morgan made 28 off 20 balls.
Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur were the stand out bowlers for India, sharing two wickets apiece.
Indian skipper Kohli, said, ‘We ticked all the boxes we wanted to and to give away only 34 odd in the last five overs is very special effort. Special mention to Washi and everyone chipped in and all in all very happy with the bowling and batting as well. It did come onto the bat a bit better in the second innings and the slower balls stopped gripped and special mention to Ishan the way he batted. I tried to do what I can but he kept following his instincts and it was a quality innings on debut. When you play in the IPL with such dominance like he has and he is a fearless character and he knew that he was hitting the ball well and he is very calculated and not restless. Today that counterattacking innings from him and that partnership was needed. I had to shift the focus back to the basics of the game and I always take pride in doing the job for the team. Just kept my eyes on the ball and my wife is here and she keeps telling me a lot of things of what I need to do. We have a great management that keeps us in the right space. And also I had a special chat with ABD before the start of the game and he just told me to watch the ball. That’s exactly what I did. He (Hardik Pandya) has worked really hard on his fitness and next few months he is gonna be a vital part of this team moving forward in all three formats. He plays for the team all the time and those kind of players are priceless. They were always in the game and you gotta be really precise in this format which is what we did today.’
Man of the Match Ishan Kishan, said, ‘Credit goes to my seniors who told me to go and express myself. It’s not easy to come and play your first game against a quality side. Mumbai Indians helped me a lot and I want to continue the momentum. Wanted to finish the game and I knew there is a senior player batting superbly at the other end. I was disappointed with the fact that I didn’t finish the game. The shot in which I smashed Tom for a six off his first ball, that was special. I don’t know if I’m gonna get this feeling again (on making debut for India), but really proud and happy and I want to thank all my coaches, seniors and everyone who helped me get here. Now it’s my time to show them what I’ve got. I had a lot of hunger in me for this innings. My coach’s Dad passed away a few days back and this innings was for him. I wanted to prove myself because he said you have to score at least fifty for my Dad. So I want to dedicate this award to him.’