“It was a very very flat wicket” – Prasidh Krishna

Indian fast bowler Prasidh Krishna, playing only his second ODI, returned with the most economical bowling figures for the hosts on the night.

However, he had no qualms in calling the wicket in Pune a 'very, very flat' one after England chased down 337 with 39 balls to spare to level the series 1-1. Prasidh Krishna said in this regard after the match:

“It was a very good wicket to bat on. The score says it all. We scored 336, and they chased it down with many overs to spare. It was a flat wicket and was challenging for the bowlers. The margin for error was too less. It was a very very flat wicket".

After India had piled up a mammoth 336 on the board, the England top 3 scored an avalanche of runs to all but end the game as a contest.

England win the 2nd @Paytm #INDvENG ODI by six wickets & level the series. #TeamIndia will be looking to make amends & win the decider to seal a series win. Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/RrLvC29Iwg pic.twitter.com/LY19wyB1zN

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 26, 2021

Jason Roy scored a 52-ball 55, while Jonny Bairstow belted his 11th ODI century, registering a 112-ball 124. Ben Stokes, the most explosive of the trio, came in at an unfamiliar no. 3 position and blasted 99 off just 52 balls.

The Indian spinners – Kuldeep Yadav and Krunal Pandya – were plundered for 156 runs in 16 overs as they went wicketless.

Prasidh Krishna provided the side with a glimmer of hope, dismissing Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler in the 37th over. He finished his ten overs for 58 runs and claimed two wickets, but it was too little too late on the day for the hosts to salvage the game.

Bowled him! Sensational yorker by Prasidh.@prasidh43 with his second wicket in an over. Buttler departs for a duck.England 4 down https://t.co/RrLvC29Iwg #INDvENG @Paytm pic.twitter.com/hiPU2fP9iT

— BCCI (@BCCI) March 26, 2021

Prasidh Krishna leads the wicket-taking charts

On his India debut on Tuesday, Prasidh Krishna became the first Indian (male) bowler to claim a four-for in his first ODI outing. After getting clobbered for 22 runs in his third over, he returned strong in his second spell, taking four wickets to bowl India to a win.

With two more wickets in the second game, Prasidh Krishna now has six wickets to his name in the series, the most by any bowler from either team. Though he has conceded runs at over six an over, he boasts an impressive average of 18.66.

With an economy rate of 4.89, Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains the only bowler from both sides to have gone below five runs an over in the ongoing series.

The third ODI, now the series decider, will be played at the same venue in Pune on Sunday.