England V India 2nd ODI Live Scores And Updates: Kieswetter Pushes England To 56 In 5

England did chase down the target in the one-off T20I at Manchester at around the same asking rate, but they are without Eoin Morgan for starters. Secondly, the side has dropped a batsman to get in an extra bowler. More importantly, the ball is doing a little.

Praveen Kumar is the bowler, Alastair Cook is the batsman against him and play says the umpire. Or at least I think he should have. And no, no luck for Parthiv Patel as Dhoni continues to handle the gloves, despite Harsha Bhogale announcing on air that the captain had informed him that he had stopped practicing keeping to keep his fingers going.

Good start for England; a flick-push towards square-leg for a three for Cook and followed by a nudge towards the covers by Kieswetter to the fence. The wicket-keeper-batsman hasn’t looked in the best of touches this series thus far and will be looking to get back to his run-scoring ways - he knows that far too many stumper-batsmen are knocking the door.

England 7/0 in 1 over

The other Kumar takes up the bowling from the other end; Vinay. And after a single and a couple, Kieswetter shows why he is preferred to all those stumpers I was referring to earlier - Akram says he has teed off, but it is more of Viv Richards-like muscle to send the ball soaring into some of the back rows of mid-wicket.

Have they decided to go after Vinay Kumar?

England 17/0 in 2 overs

The runs keep coming, this time it is a couple of boundaries off Praveen Kumar for Cook before he gets a three towards mid-wicket. Kieswetter does not relent at the other end either, a four towards the fine-leg to almost double the English score. England are away and India need a good over to pull them back.

England 33/0 in 3 overs

Vinay Kuamr continues, bowls a couple of reasonable deliveries before MS Dhoni gets a strange-looking field for the bowler. Both, third-man and fine-leg up inside the circle but Kieswetter smashes the bowler over the mid-off for a four.

But that four aside, a good over from Vinay this time, only seven from the over to get England to 40 in four overs.

Remember, England does not have Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan in the middle-order but given the way they have started, they may not need the pair!

England 40/0 in 4 overs

India left with no option but to make a change and in comes a spinner in R Ashwin. Not that it has any effect on Kieswetter’s batting as he smashes it over the long-on fence for a big six. And follows it up with another six, in the same area. For the second time tonight, I have out the reverse-commentator’s curse on a batsman!

Another over which costs 16 as England reduces the asking run-rate to 7.5

England 56/0 in 5 overs