eoin morgan, england cricket
Eoin Morgan. -File photo by AFP

MUMBAI: Stand-in captain Eoin Morgan hit a last-ball six to guide England to a thrilling series levelling-win over India in the second and final Twenty20 International in Mumbai on Saturday.

England, who won the toss and elected to field, reached the target with Morgan not out at 49 runs. Virat Kohli scored 38 as the hosts posted 177 for the loss of right wickets.

Michael Lumb and Alex Hales got the tourists off to a good start, scoring 50 and 42 respectively but Yuvraj Singh, with figures of 3-17 in the match, dismissed both along with Luke Wright.

Samit Patel was caught out on nine by Gautam Gambhir off Ashok Dinda, leaving it up to the captain and Jos Buttler to steer them to victory.

Earlier, Jade Dernbach accounted for Ajinkya Rahane and Ravi Ashwin while Luke Wright removed Gambhir and Yuvraj. Stuart Meaker halted India's momentum as Kohli was given out lbw.

MS Dhoni was caught out by Patel off Tim Bresnan after hitting two sixes and Suresh Raina was bowled by James Tredwell on 24.

India beat England by five wickets in the first match of the two-match T20 series.

India captain Dhoni said his side fell short but the international exposure for the fast bowlers was an advantage.

"The dew really does change the course of the game but we didn't start very well, we were a fraction short. The fast bowlers got good experience and exposure to international cricket. They are good prospects for us but we need to back them," Dhoni said.

Morgan, named man of the match, said England did a good job and the performance was a promising one.

"It was a fantastic match and a great pitch for a game of Twenty20. It was a good job because we nearly fell short! Fielding was outstanding. It was great, one of the best crowd atmospheres I've ever played in, and we showed great promise for the future," he said.

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