Skipper Virat Kohli and debutant Ishan Kishan struck half centuries to help India level the ongoing five-match series against England at 1-1 with a seven-wicket win in the second Twenty20 International on Sunday.

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Chasing a competitive 165-run target, India got off to the worst-possible start with all-rounder Sam Curran dismissing opener KL Rahul for a duck in the first over. 

However, a deft touch brought Kishan a his first boundary off his very first delivery and the young southpaw didn’t look back since.

He struck five boundaries and four maximums en route to a scintillating 32-ball 56-run innings, which was part of a 94-run partnership with Kohli to take the game away from England. 

Kishan’s knock came to an end after spinner Adil Rahid trapped him before the wicket. 

Kohli took over proceedings from there, bringing up his 26th T20I fifty soon after Kishan’s dismissal and also becoming the first-ever cricketer to score 3,000-runs in the format. 

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant played an impressive cameo, scoring 26 runs from 13 deliveries with the win all but assured, which Kohli sealed with a six over fine

An all-round performance from the Indian bowling attack helped restrict England to a competitive score of 164/6.  

Opener Jason Roy (46 from 35) top-scored for the visitors but narrowly missed out on a half-century yet again after rebuilding the innings following an early breakthrough for India. 

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The hosts got off to a dream start at the Narendra Modi Stadium with seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar striking in the very first over to dismiss Jos Buttler for a golden duck. 

Roy and David Malan (24), the world’s highest-rated T20I batsman, then forged a 64-run partnership to steady England’s innings before spinner Yuzvendra Chahal trapped the latter for an LBW decision. 

Spin-allrounder Washington Sundar then struck twice in quick succession to get rid of Roy and the dangerous Jonny Bairstow (20). Sundar first got Roy with a full delivery on the leg stump, which the 30-year-old swept in search for a boundary only for Bhuvneshwar to take a great, diving catch at deep square leg. 

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Bairstow perished after mistiming a low pull towards midwicket, where Suryakumar Yadav completed the catch after an initial fumble. 

Skipper Eoin Morgan (28) and Ben Stokes (24), both dismissed by paceman Shardul Thakur, also chipped in with handy contributions.

The third T20I will be played at the same venue on Tuesday, March 16.