England vs India, 2nd T20I highlights: Hosts win by 5 wickets, level series

England maintain their record of having never suffered a T20I defeat at Cardiff thanks to Alex Hales' unbeaten half century.

Photo courtesy: Twitter/englandcricket

Cardiff: England and India played a tense T20I with both teams gunning for a win. The final outcome was decided only in the final over when Alex Hales (58*) managed to hit a six off an otherwise economical Bhuvneshwar Kumar to seal the fate for the hosts.

It was an innings par excellence and one that came under pressure. Indian used pace and spin to good effect and even though the likes of Jason Roy (15), Jos Buttler (14) and Eoin Morgan (17) got starts, wickets at crucial junctures made the chase of India's 148/5 look tense. It was a Hales' partnership with Jonny Bairstow (28) that managed to carry England through to the finish line and draw the three T20I series 1-1.

Here are the highlights from the 2nd T20I match:

* It's all over here at Cardiff with Hales taking England to a rather easy five-wicket win with two balls to spare.

* Final over gets off to a superb start with Hales smashing Bhuvneshwar for a six.

* England need 20 runs off the final two overs. Umesh to bowl the 19th, Bhuvneshwar likely to get the final over of the match.

* Out! Bairstow was looking good to carry his team through but finds Kuldeep off Bhuvneshwar's bowling. England 126/5 after 17.1.

* Bairstow and Hales have taken the onus of chasing down the target on themselves. England require 23 from the final three.

*England complete 100 runs in 14.2 overs.

* Out! Just when Morgan (17) was looking to shift to top gear, he falls. The English captain takes on Pandya but Dhawan takes a stunner to remove him. England 92/4 after 13.1.

* Morgan looking to get a move on now. He has helped himself toa couple of confident boundaries. England 92/3 after 13.

* Kuldeep Yadav's first over of the innings gets the respect it deserved. England 59/3 after 10.

* Captain Morgan has come to the middle. A lot will ride on his shoulders now. He is with Alex Hales.

* Out! Kohli brings in Yuzvendra Chahal's spin and he delivers in the first over itself. Root (9) plays all around it and is bowled. England 44/3 after 6.5.

* Out! Kohli has the final say - the same batsman, same bowler in Umesh and almost a similar shot. This time, Kohli takes it and he just can't stop celebrating. England 33/2 after 5.

* Dropped! Kohli spills a dolly from Buttler. It was one of the easiest catches the Indian skipper would have ever attempted. Buttler rubs it in by hitting a four off the next delivery.

* Out! Umesh gets his revenge after being shown the boundary. Roy (15) has been clean bowled by the pacer. England 16/1 after 2.1.

* Jason Roy is off to a strong start and has helped himself to two fours and a six inside the first two overs. He has Jos Buttler for company.

* India score 148 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to three boundaries from Dhoni in the final over. He finishes unbeaten at 32.

* Dhoni unleashes his full fury in the final over of the innings. He takes two of the first delivery, follows it up with a powerful four down the ground. He has an equally capable in Hardik Pandya at the other end.

* Out! Kohli (47) fails to reach to what would have been a well-deserved fifty. He finds a diving Joe Root at fine leg off Willey's bowling. India 111/5 after 17.1.

* India bring up 100 in 16 overs with Kohli and Dhoni batting with trademark maturity.

* MS Dhoni walks out to a loud cheer from supporters in the stands.

* Out! Raina (26) is completely outfoxed by Rashid's spin. He steps out to target deep mid-wicket but got himself stumped instead. India 80/4 after 12.2.

* Kohli takes charge as he punishes Rashid Khan for a four and a six. The six, however, was a lifeline extended to him as Jason Roy not only failed to grab it but may have pushed it beyond as well.

* In the first T20I, India had scored 103/1 in the first 10 overs while chasing. Currently, the score is at 52/3 after 10.

* Raina has begun on a positive note and has helped himself to two boundaries already. India 41/3 after 8.

* Two new men in the middle - Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina.

* Out! It's the big wicket in KL Rahul. He goes for the straight drive off Plunkett but misses the ball completely. India 22/3 after 4.5.

* Out! Dhawan (10) pays the price for being slow to complete a run despite Morgan fumbling at point. India 22/2 after 4.2.

* KL Rahul in the middle. He would be hoping to carry on from where he left off in the previous match.

* Out! Rohit Sharma (6) falls after hitting the first boundary of the innings. He becomes Jake Ball's first victim in T20Is. India 7/1 after 2.

* Just one run from the first over. India 1/0 after 1.

* Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma to take strike for India. David Willey to begin proceedings with the ball.

* Morgan says the decision to bring in Jake Ball is keeping the quality of opposition and the size of the ground in mind. While Bell is a pacer, Morgan adds that he is hoping practicing spin against bowling machines will help his team take on Indian spinners better.

Kohli says he would have wanted to field first as well but adds that pressure is on England to secure a win.

Teams:

England: JJ Roy, JC Buttler, AD Hales, EJG Morgan (capt), JM Bairstow (wk) JE Root, DJ Willey, CJ Jordan, LE Plunkett, AU Rashid and JT Ball.

India: RG Sharma, S Dhawan, KL Rahul, V Kohli (capt), SK Raina, MS Dhoni (wk), HH Pandya, YS Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, B Kumar and UT Yadav.

* Team news: Moeen Ali makes way for Jake Bell. India remain unchanged.

* Toss! Eoin Morgan wins it and says England will field first.

* Weather update: Clear skies over Cardiff to remain all through the course of the match. The temperature to range between 27C and 16C.

* England all-rounder Chris Jordon admitted during a press conference on Thursday that India deserved to win the opening T20I but that his team is not perturbed with the prospect of facing spin again. "We are not at all worried (about playing spin). We've got some very experienced players in our dressing room, some very, very good players of spin," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

* The match will begin from 2200hrs. A packed stadium is expected at Sophia Gardens - a venue known for being extremely welcoming to away fans.

* Expected pitch: The pitch at Sophia Gardens is usually on the slower side but Tuesday's track could be an absolute belter. Dry, flat and under hot conditions, Cardiff  can expect some serious batting prowess from players from both teams.

* Did you know? England have never lost a T20I match in Cardiff.

* A lot has been said about England's inability to play against spin. Well, since the first T20I, the English cricketers have reportedly stood and played against a bowling machine specifically capable of throwing all sorts of turning balls at them. If the team has to challenge India though, it would be as much about how English spinners - mainly Moeen Ali - bowl as about how English batsmen bat.