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Main events
9th over: England 75-3 (Buttler 445 Livingstone 8) While Buttler looks in top form, Livingstone, opposite Varun, is nowhere near him. His first attempt at a big shot is wrong wrong, but his sheer power brings four anyway as his pull sends the man away at Deep Square. Much depends on whether Livingstone can find his feet.
8th over: England 66-3 (Buttler 43, Livingstone 3) Sky, watching England struggle against Varun, gives Bishnoi the luxury of a second straight. Buttler parks the big hits for now, settling for flowing runs down the leg side.
7th over: England 61-3 (Buttler 39, Livingstone 1) So Varun picks up where he left off in Kolkata – one over, three runs, one wicket. England badly need to see the best of Liam Livingstone, who already has one run more than he managed then.
Wicket !! Brook B Varun 13 (England 59-3)
Varun Chakravarty took out England’s middle order the other night, and he’s at it again! Brook, not seeing so clearly after all, goes forward, plays off the Googly that appears to be Varun’s stock ball and gets curled through the wicket. He steps in to the sound of some remarks from the player, possibly to do with air quality.
6th over: England 58-2 (Buttler 37, Brook 13) In comes Ravi Bishnoi, so it’s three spinners now and we’re still in the Powerplay. Buttler greets him with another one sixhis third, hit hard and flat straight into the ground. A couple of singles and that’s the end of a powerplay that has gone much better for England. Who needs an opener?
5th over: England 47-2 (Buttler 27, Brook 12) The other evening, the only England batsman to keep Buttler company for more than five minutes was Harry Brook, his young deputy, who made 17. Brook starts strongly now, Axar Slog-Sweeping Axar for six, then (as Buttler) swinging back to Leg and drilling the offside ring, with a drive in his case. He can see clearly now the smog is gone.
4th over: England 35-2 (Buttler 26, Brook 1) After catching a stump on his first ball of the series, Washington Sundar takes some punishment. Buttler tricks it for two, then swings it for him six. Washington dec ides to try and get it stun and almost succeeds, albeit with a ball so wide it could have been called wide in a try. Buttler has 26 off 14 balls – a shot that is already showing the McCullum effect.
Wicket! Duckett C Jurel B Washington 3 (England 26-2)
England face their first ball of spin… and lose a wicket! Duckett plays a back eye and a high eye to the top spot. Once again, both England openers have fallen.
Buttler takes 16 off an over!
3rd over: England 26-1 (Duckett 3, Buttler 18) That’s more like it from Buttler, who pulls Arshdeep for a tough flat four. Next ball he comes close to disappearing, hitting a cross forehand that falls just short of mid-on, but a misfield brings two. Then he flirts with a deflection but the ball is too wide for him to hit. Buttler bounces back with a tired drive for six, And then, as Sky moves the pitch to the feet, he goes back and cuts through the covers for four. Great stuff.
2nd Over: England 10-1 (Duckett 3, Buttler 2) Duckett gathers himself and looks a single off the next ball, but it’s a quiet triumph for Hardik – Dot, Dot, One, Dot, Dot, One. The second single is a farming trick from Buttler, giving him the charge but not for time at all.
Meanwhile John Starbuck has a question. “How likely are the two England sides to lose on the same day, and for the same reasons: insufficient skill against the spinners?” He answers it himself in the subject line: “England to lose again today”. This is the Spirit!
Duckett takes a shot to the head
Hardik Pandya shares the new ball again and soon hits Duckett on the side of the helmet – jaw rather than temple. There’s a drop of blood on the cheek as the physio runs the standard NOE tests, but luckily Duckett looks fine.
Over 1: England 8-1 (Duckett 2, Buttler 1) Salt had started so well, needing just one ball to improve his duck in the first game. It was a soft inswinger from Arshdeep and the saltie caught it over midwicket for a promising four. That’s the trouble with the promise: You can’t always believe it.
Ben Duckett started with a fake shot, a key lead as he played for pace (coming off of it) that wasn’t there. But at least he survived. Jos Buttler starts nicely and calmly, nudging the side for a single.
Wicket! Salt C Washington B Arshdeep 4 (England 6-1)
Here we go! Salt attracts a riser that is too far out and only manages to hold it higher. It sails through the evening air and goes straight down Washington Sundar’s throat in Deep Square.
The players are there and the announcements are booming on the ground like firecrackers. Phil Salt and Ben Duckett have one job: to get out of power alive.
In England this series is being shown by TNT Sports, who seem to be in love with Alistair Cook. The England selectors trusted him to play just four T20 internationals during his long and distinguished career and he more than proved their point with scores of 15, 9, 11 and 26. Yet here he is, giving us taking advantage of his inexperience, And sounding, as always, as if he were talking with his mouth full. To make matters worse, TNT keep referring to him as Sir Alistair, which would only make sense if Steve Fin, sitting next to him, was addressed as Mr. Fin.
We have our first email, from an old friend. “It’s good for Ravi Shastri to say a nice nice evening in Chennai,” says Krishknamoorthy. “They declare it winter there when the temp is 26 (or when walnut oil nut nut nut nut nut nut nut coconut nut nut) but is 26 years old in 7 in the evening.” Sounds pretty good from where I’m sitting, on a cold winter’s day in London. And the coconut oil is a great touch.
You have been warned.
India playing 4 spinners in this match; So England could face up to 16 of their own oversees tonight. Washington Sundar could open the bowling #Indvseng
— Richard Gibson (@RichardGibSondm) January 25, 2025
Teams: Two part changes
England make two changes – not only Carse for Atkinson, but Jamie Smith for Bethell, who is not good. For Smith, this is a T20 international debut. He has produced some wonderful clean shots in his first Tests, but only after taking his time to play himself.
India makes two more changes. They leave out two players who neither bowled nor bowled in the first match, Rinku Singh (now injured) and Nitish Kumar Reddy. In Come Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar, so Sky has another front-line spinner in its armoury.
England lose the toss again
“A pleasant pleasant evening here in Chennai,” says Ravi Shastri. Not for Jos Buttler, who miscalls for the second time out of two. Suryakumar Yadav has no hesitation in making Bat Bat first again. “I would have liked to do the same,” says Buttler, sounding as fond as ever. “Same game plan, just do it better.”
preface
Afternoon everyone and welcome to the second match in this T20 series. The question is: Will it be the second mismatch? On Wednesday, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, Brendon McCullum’s New England capitulated to Sky’s New India, losing with seven overs to spare.
A complete unknown outside India, Varun Chakravarthy, bowled England’s middle order with his googlies. Another less than household name, Abhishek Sharma, then helped himself to 79 off 34 balls with eight sixteens. 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 that won him over.
Today in Chennai the air should be clearer. Whether the minds of England’s strikers are, we shall see. Most England teams that go to India end up being troubled by the spinners. It’s just that they usually win a match first.
England have said Brydon Carse will come in for the red-faced Atkinson, but there is a doubt over Jacob Bethell, who could make way for Jamie Smith. The game starts at 1.30pm GMT and I’ll be back shortly after 1 with the toss and the teams.
For England supporters, there is another embarrassment in Australia to ponder. But at least you can enjoy Tanya Aldred’s turn of phrase.
