Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's coverage of the second one-day international between India and England at Kochi.

TOSS: INDIA BAT. No time to wait for the toss. It has been made and India have won the toss and they have elected to bat.

Here is what India captain MS Dhoni had to say to Sky Sports News after he was successful at the toss: "It looks like a wicket that may slow down as the matches progresses."

England skipper Alastair Cook didn't appear too despondent after being forced to bat second. "It's a great atmosphere. We are really looking forward to the game and we have a great chance to try to win a game," he said.

Team news to follow, where both teams have made one change to their starting lineups...

Shami Ahmed has returned for India in place of Ashok Hinda, while Tim Bresnan misses out for England with what Alastair Cook described as a "little niggle", with Chris Woakes coming into the side.

INDIA XI: Gambhir, Rahane, Kohli, Singh, Raina, Dhoni, Jadeja, Ashwin, Kumar, Sharma, Ahmed

ENGLAND XI: Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Root, Morgan, Kieswetter, Patel, Woakes, Tredwell, Finn, Dernbach

If you missed the opening match of the series, you missed an absolute thriller. England posted an imposing target of 325-4 but India looked on course to edge the tourists out. However, England's bowling attack produced an excellent spell in the second part of the innings to ensure that India missed out by nine runs.

You could argue that today's game is more important to India than it is to England. India can't afford to fall 2-0 behind in a five-match series, but after winning the toss, they will be confident of picking up a result.

The players are out in the middle. We are moments away from the start of the match, which is expected to be played in front of a crowd in the region of 70,000 people.

Here we go. Finn to bow the first ball of the innings to Rahane...

Rahane got off the mark with the first ball of the innings with a nudge off his hips, which was followed by a single from Gambhir. Finn made an optimistic LBW appeal with the final ball of the over but to no avail. Solid start from England's opening bowler.

Jade Dernbach is to partner Finn with the new ball and he began the over with two dot balls before he inexplicitly gave away five wides. He responded with a dot ball but a further three singles earned India eight runs off the over.

Finn has begun his spell in excellent fashion and after just two runs from his first five deliveries, Gambhir survived a loud appeal from the tall Middlesex bowler. It looks closer than his appeal from the opening over but the umpire remained unmoved.

What a strange over. Dernbach's second ball is a wide one, but it takes a nick from the underside of Rahane's bat, although the catch is dropped by Craig Kieswetter. It mattered not, as the umpire signalled a wide. Bizarre scenes. The over looked to be petering out before Gambhir delicately flicked the ball through first and second slip for four. However, Dernback struck with the final ball of the over with a delivery that nipped back into Gambhir and clattered off his stumps.

Two wickets in four balls for England and this time it is Finn with the wicket, clean-bowling Rahane for four. England are enthusiastic in the field and they sense that India are on the rack. Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh are the new batsmen at the crease, and Yuvraj is off the mark with a single.

The first four balls of the innings warrant just a single before Kohli opens his account with an inside edge that flies to the boundary.

A bouncer from Finn has Yuvraj in trouble but the ball hits his helmet and goes for one bye. That is the lot from the over and Finn is doing a sterling job for his side, with figures of 1-5 off four overs. A stat for you - the average total for a team batting first at Kochi is 271. India will have to go some to reach that.

Yuvraj was shown receiving treatment on his elbow during a break in play but he looks unaffected as he records a boundary through the covers, before that is followed up with a three. Ten runs from the over.

Finn looks to be heading through another over with minimal fuss before Yuvraj latches onto a short delivery to pull the ball for four. India have looked better in these last two overs but England will be happy with the start that they have made.

We have our first bowling change of the day as Chris Woakes replaces Dernbach. The pace bowler starts with a wide, but his next three balls are right on the money. Kohli gets the ball away for one but two dot balls follow and Woakes has made a solid start after replacing Tim Bresnan in the side.

We have our first showing of spin of the day as Cook introduces Samit Patel into the fray. The left-arm spinner immediately finds some turn and Kohli has a lucky escape when the ball lofts up into the air but it just avoids the hands of Cook. Four singles from the over.

Yuvraj hits the first ball to square-leg for a boundary and a further three runs from the over results in a profitable six balls for the hosts. To keep you updated with the scores, Yuvraj has 22 with Kohli on 12.

Patel keeps things tight with four dot balls but a loose delivery sees Yuvraj cut the ball for another four.

Yuvraj is keeping things ticking over for his side and he punches a fine shot straight back past Woakes for a boundary. Kieswetter thinks he has heard a nick from the following delivery but his appeal is dismissed by the umpire.

Kohli brings up the 50 partnership with a nudge off his pads, but he has played a largely supportive role to Yuvraj throughout the 60-ball half-century. Six singles and a wide from the over see India edge towards a run-rate of five runs per over.

James Tredwell is brought into the attack on the back of his 4-44 in England's victory on Friday and he strikes with his second ball! It's in controversial fashion, however. The ball strikes Yuvraj's pads, which brings a loud appeal from Tredwell. The umpire gives the decision but Yuvraj is dismayed and rightly so, after the ball appeared to clip his gloves. Huge wicket for England, mind. Suresh Reina is the new batsman and he opens his account with two runs from his first ball. Drinks were taken after the wicket of Yuvraj.

Out of nowhere, India's momentum has been halted. Kohli has one boundary from his 30 balls and Raina can add just a single from Patel during this over. After the opening burst from the pace bowlers, spin now seems the order of the day.

Two singles from the first five balls keeps India on the back foot but Raina strikes a huge slog-sweep off one knee to bring up eight runs from the over.

Kohli has struggled with the bat in the last month and he only survives with a faint inside edge on this occasion. Three runs from an uneventful over.

Apart from that one six, Tredwell has looked impressive, and he restricts India to three runs during the over. Kohli has moved to 22 off 38 balls while Raina has 12 runs off 18 balls.

Patel misses Kohli's off-stump by a matter of millimetres with the first ball of the over. Patel has looked good, registering figures of 0-22 off six overs, but Cook may opt for a change to save his spinner for the closing overs.

The intensity of play has seemingly dropped off in the humid conditions in India, but the hosts pick up five runs from the over to edge towards three figures.

Patel continues, and just as it appears that he has prevented India from reaching 100, he offers Kohli too much width and he responds in kind with a six over extra cover.

Kohli and Raina seem to have adjusted to the spin being offered by Tredwell and three singles and a four suggest that it could be time for an alternation to the bowling attack.

There's a bit of needle between Kieswetter and Raina, who appeared to hit the ball from Kieswetter's reach as he was retrieving the ball, but England will be happy at restricting India to two runs from the over.

Tredwell moves into his sixth over and like in the previous one, Kohli and Raina negotiate it with ease by adding five runs to the score. We are past the halfway stage of the innings and India will be hopeful of setting England a score in the region of 250.

Woakes returns in place of Patel, and he has an immediate impact by dismissing Kohli for 37. The Indian batsman sent a thick edge to Ian Bell at deep extra-cover, and it is a big wicket for England as Kohli was starting to build in confidence. MS Dhoni comes to the crease and he is off the mark with his first ball.

All of a sudden, you can hear a pin drop in Kochi, as the crowd prepare themselves for their side to put their foot on the accelerator during the final 20 overs. Three runs come from Tredwell's seventh of the innings.

Dhoni hits four runs from the opening four balls, but Woakes thinks he has picked up his man with the next delivery, but his appeal is turned down. The replays proved inconclusive but it was extremely close either way.

India have hit three sixes during the innings and they have all been to the same part of the ground. It was an explosive shot from Raina and he has guided his side to 136 with 20 overs remaining.

A blistering cut from Dhoni brings just a single and a thick outside results in another after an attempt to stride down the pitch. Raina also picks up two singles from the over.

Joe Root comes into the action to bowl his occasional off-spin and to act as England's sixth bowler of the innings. It's a solid start from the Yorkshireman, who restricts Raina and Kohli to just three singles.

Patel is back and like Root, he restricts India to a further three runs. It has been a strange one-day international so far. There have been just 11 boundaries (eight four and three sixes) in 33 overs, yet India will be fairly happy with their effort, with the pitch expected to turn more as the match goes on.

Root is inexperienced on the international stage but he looks like he has the potential to be a key figure in years to come. Two runs from the over leave India one short of their 150.

Patel's final six balls of his 10-over spell brings seven runs but he will be happy with his contribution of 0-43.

After a lengthy break for drinks, we are back and Dhoni has made the decision to take the second powerplay. Finn is also back for his second spell with the ball.

Raina brings up his 26th one-day international 50 with a four to backward point, with India looking to take advantage of the fielding restrictions. Finn responds with a ball that just evades Dhoni's outside edge.

Dernbach joins Finn in the attack as Cook returns to his pace bowlers, but Dhoni welcomes the Surrey man with a crushing blow down the ground.

Finn has been England's stand-out bowler of the innings so far and despite a flick for three from Dhoni, he concedes just one more run to take his figures to 1-23 off six overs.

Dhoni looks perplexed as he fails to score from Dernbach's first three balls and an attempted slog warrants the same result. The India skipper seems flustered and accuses Dernbach of standing in his way when he runs for a single. Raina adds another run to the score off the final ball to take India to 174.

India have scored just 18 runs from their powerplay so far and they suffer a further blow when Finn bowls Raina for 55. That could be a key wicket for England. Ravindra Jadeja is the new batsman and India will have to score around six runs per over during the final 10 overs if they are to achieve a decent target for England to chase.

Dernbach has done well at the start of his second spell. Five runs came from that over but his variation could tip the scales in England's direction.

Tredwell is back to complete the final two overs of his allocation. Three singles come from the start of the over before Dhoni hits India's first boundary for nearly 30 minutes to take the score to 190.

Cook opts to bring Dernbach out of the attack but it looks the wrong decision as Dhoni hoists a delivery from Woakes for six. However, Woakes hits back with two dot balls before Dhoni casually flicks the ball away for a single. Jadeja is back on strike and he hits a slower ball back over Woakes head for four to bring up India's 200. 12 runs from the over.

Tredwell produces an impeccable final over to his spell, conceding just one run, to record figures of 1-48.

After scoring just one run from seven deliveries, Jadeja receives some advice from his skipper and it pays dividends as he launches a huge six down the ground. A loose ball from Woakes hands Jadeja another four, who whips the ball away for a third boundary of the over with the final delivery. The work from Tredwell during the previous over was somewhat undone there.

It looks as though Dernbach and Finn will bowl the remaining overs for England and Dernbach is first up. The 26-year-old mixes up his pace beautifully with the first three balls of the over but Dhoni responds with a six down the ground. The India captain is on the offensive and he slashes the ball away for a single. Jadeja hits a four from the final ball and India are in the ascendency now. Four overs to go.

Finn starts the over well but he can't prevent Dhoni picking up his 48th one-day 50 for India with a explosive shot for four. The final ball receives the same treatment from the India skipper and this is a big three overs for England.

Cook springs a surprise and brings back Woakes. It's a bold move by Cook and perhaps slightly harsh on Dernbach. Jadeja smashes a full toss to the boundary at long-on, as India pick up 10 runs from the over. If they can repeat that for the final two overs, they will be more than happy with their work.

Dhoni hits his fifth four from the first ball, but a dot ball from Finn brings small relief. However, Dhoni is taking centre stage for his team now and he pummels a four down to mid-wicket. A full-length ball restricts him to one, but Jadeja hits the final ball of Finn's spell for four to take him to 47 off just 34 balls.

This has been a remarkable few overs of batting from Dhoni. He muscles the first ball of Dernbach's over for a boundary and Dernbach follows up with a wide. However, Dhoni picks out Joe Root on the rope to bring an end to an eventful innings. Four balls remaining.

Jadeja brings up his half century with a pull shot and he follows that up with another a ball later. The final ball of the innings is a six from Jadja and he has hit a fantastic 61 runs from 37 balls to close the innings.

England will return requiring 286 for victory. It will take a big effort from them if they are to achieve that total on a pitch that seems sure to reward India's spin bowlers.

See you in 30 minutes when England's openers take to the field.

Hello and welcome back as we see if England can reach their target of 286.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the opening bowler for India and his opening ball should be deemed a wide, but he escapes. Cook is off the mark with a single and Kumar's second wide delivery gets punished. Bell cuts the final ball down to third man as England start with three runs from the opening over.

Ahmed starts with a wide that is left alone by Bell, but he can't resist two balls later, only to edge the ball straight to Dhoni. A poor start from England.

The ball is swinging and Pietersen nearly succumbs to the movement off his second ball. He gets off strike with a bye but England need a massive contribution from their two senior batsmen if they are to stand a chance in this match.

Dhoni's decision to bat first is being justified here. Both Cook and Pietersen look uncomfortable, with runs coming off the edge of the bat - some controlled, some not. Cook looks more decisive in striking the last ball of the over to the boundary.

While Pietersen continues to look uncertain, Cook has regained his composure and after a boundary through extra cover, he hits a further four runs off his pads.

Just the two runs from the over but England will be pleased after the early loss of Bell.

After Cook sent him to the boundary twice in his previous over, Ahmed has responded well with a superb maiden over, with the final ball going marginally past Cook's outside edge after he attempted to cut the ball through the covers.

Pietersen has been quiet, but after piercing the off-side for two runs, he majestically flicked the ball off his pads for four. A single off the back foot results in seven runs coming from the over.

Pietersen edges the first ball of Ahmed's over just out of the reach of second slip for four, before striking the next delivery to the leg-side boundary. Two singles and a wide are added to the total before a streaky shot results in a third four of the over for Pietersen.

Nearly a catastrophe for England with the final ball of the over. Pietersen wanted a quick single, but Cook thought otherwise. Pietersen continued his run to force Cook to sprint to the other end. The opportunity for the run out was there but the chance went after a fumble from the Indian fielder.

Ishant Sharma is brought into the attack and after opening with a wide, Pietersen strikes two fours in the space of three balls to bring up the 50 partnership between himself and Cook. It is still in the early stages, but England are ahead of the required run-rate.

Big blow for England as captain Cook is dismissed. On first glance, it looked the right decision, but it could be argued that Cook was slightly unfortunate after the ball pitched outside leg-stump. Joe Root is the new man at the crease and he has quickly got off the mark with a pull-shot for four.

The responsibility now falls upon Pietersen's shoulders to help his young teammate settle. A pull from Pietersen takes him to 35, before Root hits a single through the covers. It had been a solid over from Sharma but off the final ball, Pietersen hooked the ball delightfully for a boundary.

England are knocking the ball about nicely here. They have put themselves in a position where they have kept up with the run-rate before India's spinners are introduced to the action, which you would imagine isn't too far away.

Right on cue, Ravindra Jadeja is brought on by Dhoni and he quickly rattles through his over, coming agonisingly close to catching Pietersen's outside edge with the fifth ball of the over.

It has been a delightful spell of bowling from Kumar and after previously picking up the wicket of Cook, he now has Pietersen. All of a sudden, India are favourites to win. Drinks have been called.

Disaster for England. Just when they were looking to kick-on, they have suffered two huge dismissals. Off his second ball, Morgan pushed forward, only to edge to Dhoni, to walk for a duck. A double-wicket maiden for Kumar.

England need to rebuild, and rebuild fast. A single from Root to take England to 74-4 but the run-rate has rocketed considerably above six.

The shackles have firmly been put on England's progress in this match. They have recorded 3-2 off the past four overs and India sense that their opponents are there for the taking.

With Kumar taking three wickets, Jadeja's contribution has gone unnoticed, and after conceding just two runs from this over, he has figures of 0-4 off three overs.

England can count themselves fortunate that Kumar has bowled the final over of his spell. Two decent appeals go without success but he finishes with a maiden for figures of 3-29. Potentially a match-winning performance.

Despite Jadeja's economical success, Dhoni has withdrawn him from the attack and replaced him with Yuvraj Singh. He starts by conceding just one run.

Ladies and gentleman, we have a boundary...I repeat, we have a boundary! Kieswetter has remained patient, scoring just one run off 19 balls, before he pulls the ball to the boundary for four. He finishes with a single to regain the strike for the next over.

Kieswetter twice misses out on short Yuvraj deliveries before striking the ball for a single off the fourth ball. An inside edge takes Root to 12. Two runs from the over.

Just a single from Root from the first five balls, before Kieswetter sliced the ball over the fielders for four. The required run-rate is up to 7.22

Ravichandran Ashwin replaces Yuvraj and Root immediately gets him away for a single. Kieswetter follows suit before Root reacts well to knock a low ball for two. England get four bonus runs from the final ball after the ball misses both bat and wicket-keeper after Root attempted a reverse sweep.

Yuvraj has changed ends, but Kieswetter brings the 100 up off the first ball of the over. Root then sweeps the ball for four before the over ends with two singles. This is better from England.

Kieswetter smashes the ball to the leg-side boundary off the first ball of Ashwin's over, but two balls later, he miscues straight to Raina. A soft dismissal.

Samit Patel, who made such an impact on Friday, is the next man in, but he will need to ensure he stays around to support Root rather than looking to score at will. Two singles take England to 112.

In fairness to England, they are keeping the required run-rate hovering around seven runs. Nine runs, including a Root boundary, come from the over.

Root clips the ball for two before a single brings Patel on strike. The pitch appears to be getting slightly slower but at the same time, if the ball is pitched up, it is turning significantly.

Jadeja is back, but Root works the ball away for one. The next delivery beats Patel all ends up, and England are forced to settle for just two runs from the over.

Four singles from that over and the required run-rate is up to 7.70.

Jadeja strikes for a wicket that his bowling has deserved. It's a quicker ball that has done for Root, but he displayed a maturity at the crease that could bode England well in good time.

Chris Woakes is the next batsman in, but he is soon walking back to the dressing room after being dismissed third ball. Jadeja trapped him in front of his stumps and it is only a matter of time before India level the series.

England's batsman are struggling to make any kind of contact on the ball now. Just a single off that over and England need almost 8.50 per over.

Patel has decided that it is time to go for his shots but he can only get the ball away for a single. Tredwell gets off the mark with a nudge off his pads onto the leg-side.

Tredwell didn't look comfortable from the moment that he arrived at the crease and he had no answer to a turning delivery that appeared to be crashing into his leg stump.

Not sure what has happened there, but Finn is out and Ashwin is on a hat-trick. Finn was adjudged to have edged the ball to Dhoni but replays proved otherwise. Nevertheless, it won't have an impact on the result of the game.

Dernbach is the last batsman to the crease and he scores a single with a run to square-leg.

The match is a lost cause for England but Patel and Dernbach attempt to play a few shots and that brings them four runs.

Patel displayed his batting ability in the first match of the series and he proves them once more with a run of four, four, six and four from the opening four deliveries but it looks as though Dernbach has been run-out...and he has!

Well there you have it. India have levelled this one-day series at 1-1 with an excellent all-round display that England had no answer to.

Several players impressed for the hosts, most notably MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, but it was difficult to single one of them out. For England, the sole plus point was Joe Root gaining valuable experience in the middle in front of a vocal Indian crowd.

That is all from me today. Thank you for following the match with Sports Mole and we welcome you back on Saturday for coverage of third match of the series. Goodbye for now.