AP, Cardiff :
Alex Hales smashed a six and a four in the final over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar to lead England to a thrilling series-tying 5-wicket victory against India in the second Twenty20 on Friday.
Hales made a match-winning 58 not out off 41 deliveries as the home team reached its target of 149 with two balls to spare.
In front of another sell-out crowd, dominated by Indian support, England was exemplary with the ball after skipper Eoin Morgan had won the toss and paceman Jake Ball supplied an early breakthrough.
Ball, though, conceded 22 off the last over, including a wide and a no-ball that went through to the boundary for five as India finished with a mediocre total of 148-5.
Captain Virat Kohli had earlier fallen three short of a half-century, caught by a juggling and diving Joe Root on the fine-leg boundary off David Willey. Mahendra Singh Dhoni ended unbeaten on 32.
England opener Jason Roy bludgeoned 14 runs off Umesh Yadav’s first over, only to go to the first ball of his second, while Jos Buttler and Root were soon gone too.
Morgan and Hales shared a stand of 48 before the captain fell and, after Jonny Bairstow struck two sixes in his 28, it was down to Hales to see his side home.
The last game in the series is in Bristol on Sunday.
