England lead by 1-0 after producing a mightily impressive performance in the first fixture in Kanpur, where they were victorious by 7-wickets, with nearly two overs of their allotted 20, still remaining.
England bowlers displayed extreme guile in varying their pace and length, and were able to restrict the hosts to 147-7, with Moeen Ali delivering his four overs for just 21 runs, and taking two wickets in the process.
Sam Billings who was only opening the innings due to the injury to Alex Hales that has forced him out of the series, smashed 20 from the second over of England’s innings, to set the tourists on their way. Skipper Eoin Morgan with a half century and Joe Root with 46 not out, then played with an assured aggression, that saw their side home in 18.1 overs.
The home side may have been without the rested spin bowling duo, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, but it is doubtful if even these wizards with the ball could have halted England’s progress to victory in their first T20I on Indian soil, since the massive disappointment of losing the final of the 2016 World T20 Tournament to the West Indies.
If England could have found a greater discipline in their bowling attack during the three ODIs, they could easily have won the highest scoring three-match series in history, instead of losing 1-2.
In Kanpur, they learnt as they went along, adjusting their length and pace to take into account the conditions on the night. While the quick bowlers were Impressive, it was Moeen who really caught the eye, conceding only one boundary, and taking the vital wicket of the Indian captain, Virat Kohli.