India suffered a four-wicket defeat against England in the second T20I in Manchester, allowing the hosts to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Chasing a competitive target, England rode on an unbeaten 76 from Jacob Bethell, who shifted gears brilliantly in the latter half of his innings to steer his side home.
Former India wicketkeeper-batter Parthiv Patel believes the turning point came during Ravi Bishnoi's costly 17th over, where two no-balls allowed Bethell to bat with complete freedom.
Speaking after India’s loss, Patel explained how those errors completely changed the momentum of the chase.
"Batters take one delivery to get out, and bowlers have five more deliveries to come back after a six. So, you look at that 17th over from Ravi Bishnoi and the transformation in Jacob Bethell's innings, the switch in his batting intent happened because of the freedom he got from the no-ball, to go after the ball without worrying about losing your wicket. Before that over, Bethell was struggling at 37 off 33 balls. He was finding it hard to accelerate. But those two no-balls changed everything. They released the pressure and gave him the license to attack. This is something Ravi Bishnoi will want to work on. Getting hit for runs is part of the game. But when a no-ball gives the batter a free hit, it becomes easier to play without accountability because you don't get out, you only get the runs. That over turned the match in England's favour,” said Parthiv on JioHotstar's Match Centre Live.
Patel further pointed out that while conceding boundaries is a part of T20 cricket, gifting free hits at crucial moments can significantly alter the course of a chase, as it did with Bethell's innings.
There were questions over India's decision not to use all-rounder Shivam Dube with the ball during England's chase. However, Patel defended skipper Shreyas Iyer's bowling rotation, stating that the match situation warranted using frontline bowlers rather than a sixth bowling option.
"The situation of the game matters. You try and use your sixth bowler, Shivam Dube, to get through a couple of overs. But when the game demands wickets, that is when you go back to your main bowlers. I thought Shreyas Iyer rotated his bowlers well. Yes, the execution wasn't perfect, but the bowling choices were fine according to me for this game. However, the combination is something India will need to think about. I thought 190 was a par score on this pitch. But when you are playing in England, with bigger boundaries, the slower deliveries and bouncers come into play. So maybe an extra seamer could help India in the next game."
With England now holding the advantage in the series, India will look to address their bowling combination and execution before the third T20I as they aim to level the contest.
