England vs India, 2nd T20I, India tour of England, 2026 - CommentaryENG vs IND, 2nd T20I, India tour of England, 2026 - Commentary

England are 1-0 up with three games to go and this series is only going to get exciting from here on. It's been three losses, one no result, for the World Champs in their last 4 games so they will be itching to hit back hard. They had their moments today and they will hope to seize them better next time. Shreyas Iyer is under pressure very early as captain, but the only way from here is up, is what he said. India know they have the resources to get on a roll. England will be pleased with the bowling efforts of Sam Curran, Jofra Archer and Will Jacks but they will want a better batting display. Today Bethell and Brook carried them with a good hand from Banton. The next one is in Trent Bridge. The average score there om T20s there since 2025 is only 165. It's surely going to be higher with the aggressive mindset of these two batting outfits. In fact there have been two 200+ totals in the last three T20Is played there. We will be back on Tuesday to tell you the full story. Goodnight!

Harry Brook | England captain:

Nasser: Harry, well played. You must be very very pleased with that performance in the end?

Brook: Extremely pleased, yeah. I thought the lads toiled around in the field... outstanding. And it's one of the things that we spoke about, trying to get off the rope and stop the twos. And there were some decent stats there. I think we had 11 twos and they had five. So we were pretty happy with that.

Nasser: What did you think at the halfway stage. He said they were thrilled with 190. What did you think?

Brook: We knew that we could chase that with the wind and the dimensions of the ground. The idea was to get off to a really good start in the powerplay. That didn't quite work in the first couple of overs. But we were happy with where we were after that powerplay. And then the way that Beth played there was phenomenal.

Nasser: Sam Curran, as well... That spell he bowled when they were going really well, that held them back. He bowls beautifully in that little phase?

Brook: Yeah, and again, it was just about using the dimensions and the wind as well as we could. And that little spell that we had with him (Curran) and Jacksie, I can't remember what over it was, but I think they went for about 10 or 12 runs. And that was vital in the context of the game.

Nasser: Jacob Bethell mentioned you about keeping the tempo going even after losing two wickets. It's not a case of sitting back?

Brook: No, definitely not. I think you've got to try and maximize the powerplay as well as you can, really. And all our batters have so much strength and power, but innovation as well, and we can hit different parts of the ground. And I thought we used that really well.

Nasser: A word on the young man - Jacob Bethell. He's only been around a little while. He's got a hundred in Tests, hundred in 50 overs, got that famous hundred at the Wankhede Stadium. He's cool, calm and collected under pressure.

Brook: Yeah, he's awesome to have out there (Bethell). He rallies the troops really well when we're out in the field, and gives me a massive hand out there as well. And he's so mature for his age, and he's got a very long career ahead of him.

Shreyas Iyer | India captain:

Nasser: Where do you think that game got away from you?

Shreyas Iyer: I think we all know where it went away, but I don't want to pinpoint any particular player. The way we were cruising until the 15th over, I think we were doing exceptionally well. And then suddenly the momentum shifted towards them, and from there on, I felt it was a cakewalk for them.

Nasser: You won't mention it, but I have to, Ravi Bishnoi's, that 17th over. Has he bowled no balls in the past? I've been looking. I've only seen three. How did it shock you, the no balls?

Shreyas: I think one, I was like, okay, he's going to come back strong after that. But again, in the 17th over, back to back, I think it haunted us a bit. But yeah, definitely he's got to learn out of that.

Nasser: What did you think at the halfway stage when you posted 190?

Shreyas: I think it was a phenomenal score on this wicket where there was a variable bounce for the bowlers to offer. And then Tilak getting crucial 20 of the last over, that steadied the ship for us going forward when we came in to bowl. And as I mentioned before, the first 15 overs, we were on top of the game. And then suddenly, credit where it's due, the way Jacob played, I think it was sensational to watch him. And he's got a calm demeanour as well, the way he paced his innings. He anticipated the loose balls, and that definitely took on the bowlers.

Nasser: You got stuck a little bit at the 13th over stage when Sam Curran came on. Is there anything you could have done differently before that surge at the end?

Shreyas: I think they analyzed the dimensions of the ground and also the wicket pretty early. And the way he was bowling in right areas, not giving room, or not giving any ball on the body of our left-handed batters. So, because our strength is basically to use the ball and play it on the leg side. So, the way he was not giving us room and bowling right outside off-stump, I think it was very well planned.

Nasser: A historic day for Indian cricket with Sooryavanshi making his debut. How did you think he coped with the whole day? Not just his innings, but being an international cricketer, viewing on as a captain!

Shreyas: I feel he's got that unflinching attitude where he's fearless, and the way he approaches his game, it's just sensational to watch him. And the way he bats in the nets, I think something to learn out of him, the way he plays his fearless cricket. So, I wasn't anticipating him to be nervous, honestly speaking, because he's played sensational cricket for the last couple of months and years. And we all know what he's got to offer as an individual. So, definitely backed him, and the way he stepped up to this occasion, it was pleasing to see.

Nasser: Don't need reminding, that's three on the bounce you've lost, which is very rare for an Indian side. You feel you can bounce back?

Shreyas: Absolutely, I'm always on high spirits, and I know that this is the lowest you can go. And then the only way is to win from here.

Jacob Bethell is the Player of the Match:

Nasser Hussain: Jacob, very well played. You seemed to time that run chase perfectly. What was your thought process out there?

Jacob Bethell: Yeah, I think, it worked out well in the end, but just going into bat two down, Brooky (Harry Brook), set the tone really well there. He flipped the momentum straight back on them. And, that made it easier for me to go out there and just give him strike to start and then it's a shame when he got out. But I thought Banton came in and that partnership we built, both of us would have liked to go on and finish that. But everyone just keep chipping in. And then, yeah, in those kind of chases, you're not going rapid the whole time, but a couple of big overs and then the game swings. So, yeah, it was one of them that just kind of got timed really well.

Nasser: One of those big overs was the 17th against Ravi Bishnoi. Was that always the plan or was it just because of the free hits, it worked out like that?

Bethell: If I'm honest, I probably would have targeted the other end more with my leg side, with the wind, but, and the shorter side. But, yeah, when, (there are) a couple of free hits and then bowler's down, so then you try and take him. So, yeah, that all worked out really well. And then, yeah, Jof (Jofra Archer) came in and finished it off.

Nasser: You were obviously aware of the shorter side, but important not to get obsessed by it as a batter!

Bethell: Yeah, I think so. I mean, the thing with playing on different dimensions is one side might be easier to hit sixes, but you can also score the same amount of runs, hit in the gaps that are bigger on that big side. So, yeah, it was just about being smart with that. And I thought as a batting group, we were really good at that on the whole.

Nasser: How important is it in a game like this to come in with fond memories personally against India, with that World Cup semi-final. It's an attack that you've done well against in the past?

Bethell: Yeah, for sure. I think, I really enjoyed that semi-final (2026 T20 WC), although we couldn't get over the line. They're a high-skilled attack, it's just that I've played them on two pretty nice pitches. And, yeah, you want to do well against the best teams in the world. So, yeah, it's really pleasing to do so.

Stats by Shashikant Singh

191 is the highest target successfully chased by England against India in T20Is, bettering the 178 target chased at Wankhede in 2012.

This is only the second win (and the first after three losses) in eight completed games for England against India since 2024 in T20Is.

England at Manchester (T20Is)
Mats: 14
Won: 8
Lost: 3
NR: 3
– This is their fourth successive win at Old Trafford. The last T20I they lost here was against Pakistan in 2020.

Among the 12 Indians to captain India in 3-plus T20I matches, Shreyas Iyer is the only one to go winless in his first four games.

For the first time since 2021, India has lost three straight completed T20Is.

76* runs by Jacob Bethell is the second most by an England batter against India at home after 77 by Dawid Malan at Trent Bridge in 2022.

Arshdeep spell today
1st over: 1 run, 2 wickets
2nd over: 27 runs
3rd over: 3 runs. 1 wicket
4th over: 10 runs

India got both Salt and Buttler as early as the first over, Brook punched back by taking on Arshdeep in his second over for 27 runs. Axar bowled brilliantly, Varun got the key wicket of Jacks towards the end of his spell but Bishnoi cutting the return crease with the back leg twice in an over resulted in two free-hits and Bethell sent them over the ropes. He had great fun smashing Bishnoi all over the place. That 29-over killed the game when the pressure was on England and Bethell unleashed himself to close the game out for his side.

18:09 Local Time, 17:09 GMT, 22:39 IST: Outstanding effort by Jacob Bethell. He held on to one end, then picked his targets and sealed the deal with class. His captain bludgeoned his way to counterattack after Salt and Buttler went early. That oomph by Brook and the smarts from Bethell have got England over the line. In India's innings, they randomly slowed down, only taking 6 singles in the 15th over and then conceding 4 dots, a wicket for only 2 runs in the 16th over. England in their effort took 18 runs off those two overs and ensured there was no stalling. In fact, Bethell flicked the switch brilliantly and smashed Bishnoi for 3 sixes and 1 four in the next over that went for 29 runs.

Indian spinners today (by length)
Full (< 4m): 1/16 (9 balls), ER: 10.7
Good (4-5m): 0/15 (10 balls), ER: 9.0
Short (5+m): 1/81 (56 balls), ER: 8.67

England batter played 10 sweep shots against spinners and scored 18 runs off those with the help of 2 fours and one six, and lost Brook and Jacks' wickets as well.