Key events
5th over: England 47-2 (Buttler 27, Brook 12) The other evening, the only England batter to keep Buttler company for more than five minutes was Harry Brook, his new deputy, who made 17. Brook starts strongly now, slog-sweeping Axar Patel for six, then (like Buttler) rocking back to leg and piercing the offside ring, with a drive in his case. He can see clearly now the smog has gone.
4th over: England 35-2 (Buttler 26, Brook 1) After grabbing a wicket with his first ball of the series, Washington Sundar takes a bit of punishment. Buttler dabs him for two, then swings him for six. Washington dec ides to try and get him stumped and almost succeeds, albeit with a ball so wide of off that it might well have been called wide in a Test. Buttler has 26 off 14 balls – the one batter who 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 reverse-something and a top edge loops up to point. Once again, both England openers have flopped.
Buttler takes 16 off an over!
3rd over: England 26-1 (Duckett 3, Buttler 18) This is more like it from Buttler, who pulls Arshdeep for a fierce flat four. Next ball he comes close to perishing, hitting a crosscourt forehand that falls just short of mid-on, but a misfield brings two. Then he flirts with a ramp, but the ball is too wide of off for him to hit it. Buttler bounces back with a lofted drive for six, and then, as SKY moves the field to leg, he steps back and cuts through the covers for four. Magnificent stuff.
2nd over: England 10-1 (Duckett 3, Buttler 2) Duckett gathers himself and glances a single off the next ball, but this over is a quiet triumph for Hardik – dot, dot, one, dot, dot, one. The second single is an agricultural hack from Buttler, giving him the charge but not timing the shot at all.
Meanwhile John Starbuck has a question. “How likely is it that two England sides would lose on the same day, and for the same reasons: insufficient skill against spinners?” He answers it himself in the subject line: ““England to lose again today.” That’s the spirit!
Duckett takes a blow 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 dot of blood on his cheek as the physio conducts the noe-standard tests, but happily Duckett looks fine.
1st over: England 8-1 (Duckett 2, Buttler 1) Salt had started so well, needing only one ball to improve on his duck in the first game. It was a gentle inswinger from Arshdeep and Salt clipped it over midwicket for a promising four. That’s the trouble with promise: ou can’t always believe it.
Ben Duckett began with a false shot, a leading edge as he played for swing (outswing to him) that wasn’t there. But at least he survived. Jos Buttler starts nice and calmly, nudging into the on side for a single.
WICKET! Salt c Washington b Arshdeep 4 (England 6-1)
Here we go! Salt pulls a lifter that is too far outside off and only succeeds in top-edging it. It sails through the evening air and goes straight down the throat of Washington Sundar at deep square.
The players are out there and the announcements are booming around the ground like gunfire. Phil Salt and Ben Duckett have one job: to get out of the Powerplay 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 only four T20 internationals during his long and distinguished career and he rather proved their point with scores of 15, 9, 11 and 26. Nonetheless, here he is, giving us the benefit of his lack of experience, and sounding, as ever, as if he’s talking with his mouth full. To make matters worse, TNT keep referring to him as Sir Alistair, which would only make sense if Steve Finn, sitting next to him, was addressed as Mr Finn.
We have our first email, from an old friend. “It’s OK for Ravi Shastri to say a nice pleasant evening in Chennai,” says Krish Krishnamoorthy. “They declare it is winter there when the temp is 26 (or when the coconut oil freezes in the early morning hours), but it is 26 at 7 in the evening.” Sounds pretty good from where I sit, 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 overs of it tonight. Washington Sundar could open the bowling #INDvsENG
— Richard Gibson (@richardgibsonDM) January 25, 2025
Teams: two changes apiece
England make two changes – not just Carse for Atkinson, but Jamie Smith for Bethell, who is unwell. For Smith, this is a T20 international debut. He has produced some fabulous clean hitting in his first few Tests, but only after taking his time to play himself in.
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.
England lose the toss again
“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.”
Preamble
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.
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.
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.
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.
For England supporters, there’s yet another embarrassment in Australia to ponder. But at least you can enjoy Tanya Aldred’s turn of phrase.
