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India make two changes too. They leave out two players who neither batted nor bowled in the first game, Rinku Singh (now injured) and Nitish Kumar Reddy. In come Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar, so SKY has yet another frontline spinner in his armoury.
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“A nice pleasant evening here in Chennai,” says Ravi Shastri. Not for Jos Buttler, who calls wrong for the second time out of two. Suryakumar Yadav has no hesitation making England bat first again. “I would have loved to do the same,” says Buttler, sounding as affable as ever. “Same game plan, just do it better.”
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Afternoon everyone and welcome to the second match in this T20 series. The question is: will it be the second mismatch? On Wednesday, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Brendon McCullum’s new England capitulated to SKY’s new India, losing with seven overs to spare.
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A complete unknown outside India, Varun Chakravarthy, ripped through England’s middle order with his googlies. Another less than household name, Abhishek Sharma, then helped himself to 79 off 34 balls with eight sixes. McCullum’s big idea – picking a battery of pacemen – backfired as Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood and Jamie Overton bowled 35 balls and took none for 73. Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler were both excellent, but we knew that already. Harry Brook, the new vice-captain, said afterwards that it was the smog wot won it.
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Today in Chennai the air should be clearer. Whether the England batters’ minds are, we shall see. Most England teams that go to India end up getting tormented by the spinners. It’s just that usually they win a match first.
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England have said that Brydon Carse will come in for the red-faced Atkinson but there’s a doubt about Jacob Bethell, who may give way to Jamie Smith. Play starts at 1.30pm GMT and I’ll be back just after 1 with the toss and teams.
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For England supporters, there’s yet another embarrassment in Australia to ponder. But at least you can enjoy Tanya Aldred’s turn of phrase.
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main events
In the UK, the series is aired by TNT Sports and they seem to be in love with Alistair Cooke. England's selectors trust him, having played only four T20 internationals during his long and illustrious career; The score proved them right. Nevertheless, he was here and gave us the benefit of his lack of experience. And as usual, he sounded like he was talking with his mouth full. To make matters worse, TNT keeps calling him Ser Alistair, which only makes sense if Steve Finn, who is sitting next to him, is called Mr. Finn.
The first email has arrived. From an old friend. “It's safe to say Ravi Shastri had a nice fun night in Chennai,” says Krish Krishnamoorthy. “They declare it winter when it's 26 degrees (or when coconut oil freezes early in the morning), but at 7pm it's 26 degrees.” From where I'm sitting on a cold winter's day in London sounds pretty good. And it goes great with coconut oil.
You have been warned.
India played four spinners in this match. So England could go up to 16 overs tonight. Washington Thunder could open a bowling alley #INDvsENG
— Richard Gibson (@richardgibsonDM) January 25, 2025
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India played four spinners in this match. So England could go up to 16 overs tonight. Washington Thunder could open a bowling alley #INDvsENG
— Richard Gibson (@richardgibsonDM) January 25, 2025
Team: 2 changes each
England made two changes, with Kearse replacing Atkinson, as well as Jamie Smith replacing the unwell Bethell. For Smith, this will be his international T20 debut. He had some great clean hits in the first few Tests, but only after taking time to work on his game.
India will also make two changes. They will exclude two players, Rinku Singh (currently injured) and Nitish Kumar Reddy, who neither batted nor bowled in the first match. With the arrival of Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar, SKY now have more frontline spinners in their arsenal.
England lost the toss again.
“We had a lovely fun night here in Chennai,” says Ravi Shastri. Jos Buttler did not, but he made his second mistake in two. Suryakumar Yadav did not hesitate to become England's first batsman again. “I wish I had done the same thing,” Butler said, as amiable as ever. “The game plan is the same, but we just have to do it better.”
preamble
This afternoon, welcome everyone to the second match of this T20 series. The question is whether this will be a second mismatch. On Wednesday at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, Brendon McCullum's new England side succumbed to the new India side on SKY, losing with seven overs to spare.
Varun Chakravarthy, who was completely unknown outside India, used his googly to defeat England's mid-tables. Abhishek Sharma, another lesser-known player, also made 79 off 34 balls, hitting eight sixes. McCullum's big idea – opting for a battery of pacemen – backfired, with Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood and Jamie Overton throwing 35 balls and not winning a single 73 balls. Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler were both great, but we already knew that. New vice-captain Harry Brook said after the match that Smogwot had won.
The air should be clearer in Chennai today. It remains to be seen how England's batsmen feel. Most English teams touring India will struggle with spinners. However, the player usually wins the match first.
England say Brydon Kearse will replace the red-faced Atkinson, but there are doubts about Jacob Bethell, who could make way for Jamie Smith. The game starts at 1:30pm GMT and I return with Toth and the team just after 1pm.
For England supporters, there is also something embarrassing to think about in Australia. But at least we can enjoy Tanya Aldred's lines.
