2nd T20I at Cardiff: England beat India by 5 wickets

Alex Hales struck an unbeaten half-century and powered a much-improved England to a series-levelling five-wicket victory over India in the second T20 International at Sophia Gardens at Cardiff.

The hosts scored 152 for five in 19.4 overs to overcome India's sub-par total of 148 for five on a Sophia Gardens surface that offered bounce.

First game's centurion KL Rahul (6) was in next but didn't look comfortable at the crease either. The groundsmen left an extra layering of grass on the wicket's top-surface and English bowlers used it amply.

With the short boundaries, they used short bowling against every top-order batsman. Even an in-form Rahul couldn't contend with this tactic, thus managing to miss an off-cutter from Liam Plunkett (1-17) in the fifth over and was bowled.

Dhoni becomes the third Indian after Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid to play 500 international matches for Team India as the Master Blaster has played 664 matches for India, whereas India's 'Wall' has played 508 matches for the Men in Blue.

The Indian fans turned out in large numbers to support the visitors in the 2nd T20I of the three-match series and kept backing the Men in Blue till the end of the game.

Hales and skipper Eoin Morgan (17) then added 48 runs for the fourth wicket. Even as England were in cruise mode, Hardik Pandya (1-28) provided the breakthrough against the run of play. In fact, the wicket should be attributed to Shikhar Dhawan who took a leaping catch at fine leg boundary that stunned the crowd.

England crossed 100 in the 15th over, as Hales reached his eighth T20I half-century off 39 balls and gave the hosts the crucial win they needed as England have levelled the three-match series 1-1, leaving it all to the third and final T20 which will be played at County Ground in Bristol.