Alex Hales blasts a six into the River Taff as England squeeze past India in nerve-jangling T20

Hales checked India’s momentum with a brilliantly timed innings of 58 from 41 balls to lead his side home in a tense chase of 149 with three balls to spare

Alex Hales proved the difference as England levelled up this T20 series with a nerve-jangling five-wicket victory against India at Sophia Gardens.

Eoin Morgan’s team had been thoroughly outplayed in Manchester on Tuesday, slipping to an eight-wicket defeat as Virat Kohli’s team started their tour of England, which also includes three ODIs and five Tests, with ominous intent.

However, Hales checked India’s momentum with a brilliantly timed innings of 58 from 41 balls – including a brutal six in the final over that landed in the nearby River Taff – to lead his side home in a tense chase of 149 with three balls to spare.

India’s total of 148 for five had always looked under par. Yet it was only Hales, still the only England player to possess an international T20 century, who denied them the win.

It sets up a series finale in Bristol on Sunday, a match which may see England welcome back a fit-again Ben Stokes, the all-rounder available again after overcoming a hamstring injury.

England’s run of seven successive white-ball wins, including a 5-0 ODI series whitewash of Australia, came to a shuddering halt at Old Trafford earlier this week.

But they had the advantage of chasing here after Morgan won the toss and they also reaped instant reward from the one change to their team as Jake Ball, handed an international T20 debut in place of Moeen Ali, removed Rohit Sharma in the second over.

India were 22 for two in the fifth when Shikhar Dhawan was run out. But with Kohli striding to the crease to join KL Rahul, the sizeable contingent of India fans packed into Sofia Gardens were still confident their team could manufacture a defendable target.

Alex Hales celebrates England’s win with Jonny Bairstow (Getty Images)

Rahul had made an unbeaten 101 from 54 balls at Old Trafford. He was gone for just six here, though, bowled by Liam Plunkett. Kohli, assisted by Suresh Raina, helped his side rally to 52 for three by the midway point of the innings.

The next over saw Kohli dropped on 21 by Jason Roy at long on as Adil Rashid was taken for 15. Yet the leg-spinner came back strongly in his next over by outsmarting Raina with a googly that saw the Indian stumped by Jos Buttler to end a 57-run fourth-wicket stand.

India were now 79 for four with Kohli joined by MS Dhoni. But the partnership was worth just 32 from 29 balls before Kohli was dismissed for 47 by Willey in the 18th over following a brilliant catch in the deep by Joe Root.

Despite the fact Ball’s final over was taken for 22, India, who hit just four sixes, were still restricted to 148 for five. England’s reply got off to a flying start when Roy took Umesh Yadav’s first over for 14.

However, they lost both Roy and Jos Buttler cheaply to end the six-over power play on 42 for two. All this came before India’s spinners had been introduced and it took just five balls of slow bowling for a wicket to fall as Yuzvendra Chahal bowled Root for nine.

Now on 44 for three, England were yet to face Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist spinner who had taken five for 24 in Manchester. Despite a review for lbw against Hales in Kul deep’s first over – the tenth – England safely negotiated it to move onto 59-3 at halfway.

Hales and Morgan let loose in the next three overs against Chahal and Kuldeep, taking the spinners for a combined 32 to leave England needing 57 from the final 42 balls.

Dhawan, though, took a spectacular, tumbling catch on the third-man boundary from the first ball of the 14th over, bowled by Hardik Pandya, to dismiss Morgan and reduce their opponent’s to 92 for four.

Jonny Bairstow sweeps a six for England (Reuters)

By the end of the 16th over, and with Hales well set on 37, England needed 39 to win from 24 balls. The next over was Kuldeep’s last and, thanks to successive sixes from Bairstow, England took it for 16 to leave themselves needing just 23 from the final 18 balls.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar tipped this contest back in the balance when he had Bairstow, who made 28 from 18 balls, caught off the first ball of the 18th over, England now five down.

They needed 20 from the final 12 balls as India bowlers cranked up the pressure. Umesh was the man to bowl the penultimate over, with England’s fate resting in the hands of Hales and Willey. It went for eight runs to leave England needing 12 from the final over, bowled by Bhuvneshwar.

Hales, three short of his half-century, crucially had the strike. And he smashed the first ball out of the ground to move past fifty in style before hitting the next for four and then taking a single to allow Willey seal victory.