Opener K L Rahul struck a breezy 71 on a difficult surface for batting as India managed a modest 144 for eight against England in the second Twenty20 International here today.
India lost three wickets in the last over, including that of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to fall short of 150.
Rahul's 47-ball knock contained two sixes and six fours and his partnership of 56 with fellow Karnataka mate Manish Pandey (30 in 26 balls) was the only notable stand.
The hosts lost the series opener in Kanpur by seven wickets and need to win this game to keep the three-match rubber, that ends in Bengaluru on February 1, alive.
The home team had a stuttering start after it was asked to take first strike on a slow VCA Stadium track in Jamtha.
Wearing black armbands to mourn the sudden demise of India's under 19 and A team trainer Rajeev Sawant and the father of fast bowler Hammed Shami who is not part of the squad, the home team batsmen failed to get going in earnest.
England surprised captain Virat Kohli and Rahul by using left-arm slow bowler Liam Dawson, who had replaced fast bowler Liam Plunkett in the XI in horses for courses change, to open the bowling with the Tymal Mills.
Kohli, in fact, had a charmed life as he top-edged the left-arm Mills - who worked up good pace - behind the 'keeper for a four that eluded the left-handed grasp of Sam Billings on the boundary line - and then survived a close leg before appeal against Chris Jordan in the next over.
Kohli struck Mills for a six and a four in successive balls in the next over after surviving the lBW appeal but then was deceived by a slower ball from left-arm Jordan and holed out to long off for 21 off the first ball of the fifth over.
Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh were dismissed for single digits - to Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali - leaving the home team at a difficult 69 for three just past the half way mark.
Raina slogged and was caught at long on while Yuvraj missed a sweep and was caught plumb in front of the stumps.
Rahul's innings was the saving grace in this period as he coolly got about getting the runs and also used his feet well against the spinners to cart them around for fours and sixes.
He reached his 50 with a single in 32 balls, inclusive of two sixes and three fours. The innings' 100 came up in the 14th over as the Indian batsmen started attacking Dawson and leggie Adil Rashid even as off spinner Moeen did a good job, taking 1 for 20 in four overs.
Manish Pandey, who came in at no. 5 instead of Dhoni, had a lucky escape when a ball from Stokes hit the stumps as he went for a slog but failed to dislodge the bails.
Pandey survived on 10 and India's score after 15 overs was 108 for three as the English pacers cleverly mixed it up.
Rahul was finally dismissed in the 18th over when trying to lift Jordan over the mid-wicket region but could not clear the rope and was caught by Ben Stokes to bring Dhoni to the crease with only 16 balls left in the innings.
The hosts also lost Pandey in the penultimate over, bowled by Mills, after clobbering the bowler over long on, his only boundary hit.
The former captain could not do much and got out to the last ball of the innings, while trying to heave a wide ball from Jordan and dragging it on to the stumps.
Hardik Pandya and Amit Mishra, included in the XI in place of Parvez Rasool, were both run out for ducks in the same over. Jordan finished with 3 for 22.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
