Tilak Varma leads India across finish line and 2-0 T20 series lead over England

CHENNAI, India (AP) - Tilak Varma played a lone hand as he shepherded India across the finish line against England with an unbeaten 72 off 55 balls in the second Twenty20 on Saturday.

Varma’s third T20 half-century rescued India from 78-5 in the 10th over and chased down the target of 166 with four balls remaining.

India reached 166-8 after England made 165-9, and led the five-match series 2-0.

India opted to bowl first again. Both sides made a couple changes each; India brought in Dhruv Jurel and Washington Sundar for the injured Nitish Reddy and Rinku Singh.

England recalled Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse for Jacob Bethell and Gus Atkinson, respectively.

India's top order was rattled by pace. Mark Wood trapped Abhishek Sharma for 12, and Jofra Archer dismissed Sanju Samson while trying to pull.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav hit three fours but Brydon Carse bowled him in the sixth over.

Two overs later, Carse removed Jurel as well, caught for 4 at 66-4. The score became 78-5 when Hardik Pandya was caught on 7 off Jamie Overton.

Varma kept India alive in a 38-run partnership with Washington Sundar, who was Carse’s third wicket in the 14th over.

Two wickets fell to spin, including Axar Patel, as England regained momentum.

But Varma attacked Archer in his final over and found late support from No. 10 batter Ravi Bishnoi, who stuck around for 14 balls and even hit two boundaries for 9 not out.

England gave spinner Liam Livingstone the penultimate over, with 13 needed off 12 balls, and Bishnoi’s boundary helped to take seven runs off the over.

Varma sealed the win off two balls in the final over, a game England seemed to have in its grip but failed to finish.

Earlier, England's batting struggled to get going against India’s spin.

Opener Phil Salt fell cheaply again to Arshdeep Singh, with spin introduced early into the attack.

The spinners shared six wickets, with mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy again leading the way with 2-38 from four overs.

Captain Jos Buttler held the innings together again with a 30-ball 45. He struck two fours and three sixes, putting on 33 off 20 balls with Harry Brook.

Brook struggled against Chakravarthy again, out bowled in the seventh over.

The turning point came in the 10th over when Buttler was caught off Axar Patel. The left-arm spinner took 2-32 in four overs, also dismissing Livingstone for 13.

England lost its last seven wickets for 98 runs, albeit managing a better batting performance than the first T20.

Carse’s 31 off 17 balls, including three sixes, pushed England past 150.

Rajkot hosts the third T20 on Tuesday.