NICK HOWSON looks back at the major discussion points from the second T20 between the top two ranked nations in the ICC rankings
India v England: 2nd T20 scorecard
India-England third Test pitch rated average despite second-day finish
Not since undergoing back surgery in October 2019 has Hardik Pandya been asked to bowl a full allocation of four overs for India.
In was against South Africa in Mohali when he last delivered 24 balls in a single game. Figures of 4-0-31-1 were fairly respectably, particularly when compared to his teammates that day.
With respect to The Proteas, this was an entirely different prospect for Pandya as he took on four overs in a major international or franchise game for the first time since having that major procedure 18 months ago.
He has eased back to full fitness and while his batting has been exemplary, the ball has evaded his grasp. The two overs he got in the first T20 on Friday were his first at this level since returning to full fitness.
The structure of India's team meant that unless Virat Kohli was going to take the ball for the first time in a T20I since 2016, Pandya would have to be bowled out.
To be fair to the Mumbai Indians man, he performed admirably and came into the attack just as England were getting into their stride.
The hardness of the ball had gone by that stage too, and it was no longer fizzing off the surface. That meant Pandya had to his intuition, bowling into the pitch and trying to push England's batters back.
Pandya went at nine-an-over for the first three, England only found two boundaries - one of which came via a mis-field. He came back for the 17th over and Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes couldn't get him away. Only after India's successful chase could you tell just how good a performance it was.
It was an admirable return, but how often will we see Kohli restrict himself with just five bowlers in an XI?
With a home World Cup and the IPL on the horizon, India will feel they can experiment somewhat before then - they awarded two debuts here - so it wouldn't be a surprise to see this strategy ditched by the time the showcase gets underway.
In a format that requires teams to be adaptable and flexible to keep up with violent changes in momentum, it was a rather rigid approach and one that on another day in tournament play could come back to haunt them.
Yeah, another line on pitches.
It'll be fascinating to see what sort of surfaces we get for the T20 World Cup in October and November, which will be prepared by the ICC.
The BCCI largely have free reign for this series but instead of playing to the masses and producing strips to produce a run-fest, they have certainly favoured the bowler so far.
As we saw in dispatches during the 50-over World Cup, a sticky, tricky wicket can make for a more intriguing contest. The final was a classic in part because both sides were working out conditions on the hoof.
There was something in it for the seamers with the new ball, with it skidding on and accelerating off a length, spin for Yuzendra Chahal and Adil Rashid and runs for batters who found their timing and were willing to think on their feet. The old ball then died, particularly at the end of the England innings.
As has been mentioned this week, the World T20 in 2016 only saw significant turn and bounce at Nagpur. Are India expecting similar conditions later in the year?
As for Morgan, he is keen to see England's batting line-up tested against spin on a more regular basis. This perhaps wasn't exactly what he would have envisaged, but it was another good test of his side's capabilities. They'll be better for it.
Hardik Pandya produced with the ball
India may have strolled to victory but it was far from a complete performance, due to some fielding errors during the England innings.
The tip of the iceberg came courtesy of the captain, who gathered the ball at the stumps as England ran one, before obliterating the bails, dropping the ball and allowing the tourists to grab a second.
World Cups are won and lost by fine margins (and boundaries scored) and such errors need to be ironed out before they host 15 other nations in the autumn.
Remember, this is an India team that select squads partly based on fitness, so such shortcomings will not be accepted going forward.
Ever seen this before...?#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/lAtSLPxYk2
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) March 14, 2021
If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.
Three times the Surrey man tried to reverse sweep the ball through backward point, and three times he was left wanting.
You are allowed to hit the ball, Jason.
It was another example of what was an extremely ugly innings from the Perth Scorchers' opener.
The only difference is this was a pitch which required thought and inventiveness to get results. Perhaps only Ishan Kishan and Kohli mastered it with genuine cricket shots, hence Roy had to be delve into his bag of tricks.
There were even a few baseball hits down the ground which would have been better suited to Wrigley Field or Yankee Stadium.
Back to his desperate attempt to sweep or die trying, before the series Roy had scored 130 runs from 62 shots (CricViz) via that method. Only Scotland's George Munsey does it better.
With two balls of the ninth over remaining, Roy nailed it. The ball scuttled through off Chahal, before a wide gave him another chance. And this one he looped over the fielder.
There is more attention on Roy's position in this England team than actual pressure, you feel. There are many waiting to come in, watching this series either from the sidelines or at home. He won't be playing in the IPL this year, remember.
But he proved himself to be a valuable contributor, with an effective if not always aesthetically pleasing knock. The year 2020 wasn't always the best, but it hasn't taken long to recapture his best.
England's bowlers were far from their best
No Rohit Sharma or Shikhar Dhawan but no problem for India, who dipped into their depth and pulled out Kishan, who picked up from where he left off in the IPL.
It was a fairytale day for the 22-year-old. A big crowd - he didn't have that in the UAE of course - batting alongside a legend of the format in Kohli and dominating some of the best around.
From the moment he came forward and pushed into the offside off Jofra Archer bowling at 90mph you knew this wasn't going to be any old innings from the youngster.
There were no tricks and flips, ramp shots or flicks beyond the 'keeper. Just proper cricket shots. A pull, the cover drive, a slap over long-on and another hook over deep square leg. His quality through the leg-side, in particular, was there for all to see.
Quite a way to go to fifty on debut...#INDvENG pic.twitter.com/th14EDKQns
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) March 14, 2021
We have been treated by England's limited-overs side in recent years, not least a few days ago when they bowled superbly in the powerplay and upset a big crowd to win by eight wickets.
But it was a substandard display that underpinned India's own comfortable win in Ahmedabad.
The batting display was uncomfortable to watch at time, as players got out just as they looked to have got going. Credit to India for taking wickets when they did. Only Roy got on top of the pitch.
And the bowling display left a lot to be desired also. Tom Curran and Chris Jordan got their lengths wrong, Archer was off-colour and Stokes was transported back to Kolkata five years ago.
When the Durham man put down Kishan at long-on, there was a feeling this wasn't going to be England's day. Such errors are so rare you can't help but draw conclusions from them. This was a substandard display, totally out of character from much of the Morgan era.
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