Kumar bowls India to T20 series win over England
Cricket
Kumar bowls India to T20 series win over England
BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - Bhuvneshwar Kumar starred as India overpowered England by 49 runs to win the second Twenty20 international at Edgbaston on Saturday and so take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
England, set 171 to win, were dismissed for 121, with India swing bowler Kumar taking 3-15. Kumar set the tone from the start of England s chase, having the dangerous Jason Roy caught at slip by India captain Rohit Sharma for a first-ball duck. He followed up by having England captain Jos Buttler, one of the world s best white-ball batsmen, caught behind for just four.
And when the hard-hitting Liam Livingstone was bowled by a superb off-cutter from Jasprit Bumrah, the hosts had slumped to 27-3 inside five overs. "When the ball swings you always enjoy yourself," Kumar, the player of the match, told Sky Sports. "In previous years in England I don t remember much help with the white-ball but this time there is swing and bounce."
Victory meant Rohit had won his last 14 matches as India s T20 captain, with the delighted skipper saying: "We all know how good England are as a team. We knew we were in for a challenge but we were quite clinical in what we wanted to do and executed with bat and ball."
Moeen Ali (35) and David Willey (33 not out) tried to get an England side missing several regulars, including red-ball captain Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow following a seven-wicket win over India in the Covid-delayed fifth Test at Edgbaston completed Tuesday, on track. But England kept losing wickets as the run-rate soared and the match ended with exactly three overs to spare when Harshal Patel yorked No 11 Matt Parkinson. Earlier, India made 170-8 after being sent into bat.
- Gleeson s fantastic debut -
England debutant paceman Richard Gleeson removed all of India s top three -- Rohit, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant -- on his way to 3-15 after the tourists had been 49 without loss. Chris Jordan followed up with 4-27 before Ravindra Jadeja s unbeaten 46 kept India in the game. "It is very disappointing but we didn t play anywhere near well enough to win the game," said Buttler. "I think we got what we deserved."
But he took some comfort from the performance of Lancashire team-mate Gleeson ahead of Sunday s series finale at Nottingham s Trent Bridge. "It s not just the wickets, but the guys he got out as well...It was a fantastic debut," said Buttler. Gleeson struck with just his sixth ball in international cricket, removing Rohit (31) when the opener s top-edged hook was well caught by wicketkeeper Buttler, running back. He then took two wickets in two balls at the start of his next over.
Star batsman Kohli, now without a hundred in 76 international innings across all formats, fell for just one when he sliced Gleeson and Dawid Malan held a fine catch over his shoulder as he ran from backward point. Pant (26 off 15 balls) then charged at Gleeson but was caught behind off an inside edge. Gleeson, speaking during the innings break, said: "I would have taken that every day of the week, especially against these boys -- they have some top class internationals. The 34-year-old added: "I was supposed to be on a bit of teacher training this week but, thankfully, they weren t too strict with me and let me have a bit of time off!"
