IND vs ENG: Harry Brook castled again by Varun Chakravarthy - This time without Smog in Chennai

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Harry Brook has been dismissed in Chennai at the hands of Varun Chakravarthy, this time on a clear evening, without a hint of 'Smog'. Brook got dismissed for 13 runs, and got castled in the very first delivery facing the Indian spinner.

After getting bowled in the match at the Eden Gardens, Brook came forward with a rather bizarre excuse: smog. Yes, you read that right.

Speaking ahead of the second T20I in Chennai, Brook attributed England's struggles in Kolkata to poor visibility caused by the air quality, claiming it made it difficult to read the ball, especially from India's crafty spinner Varun Chakaravarthy.

"Chakaravarthy is an exceptionally good bowler," Brook admitted, acknowledging the bowler's match-winning 3-wicket haul. But then came the excuse that raised eyebrows: "With the smog the other night, it was a lot harder to pick. Hopefully, the air is a bit clearer here, and we can see the ball a bit easier."

Really, Harry? The smog? While players often talk about pitch conditions or dew as contributing factors, blaming Kolkata's air quality for a poor outing was far-fetched, especially when India's batters seemed to manage just fine.

Brook, who has earned plaudits for his skills in red-ball cricket and was part of England's victorious T20 World Cup campaign, admitted spin is his Achilles' heel in the shortest format.

And his glaring lack of preparation against spin was evident in Chennai, where Brook made a giant stride forward facing Varun, and missed it altogether. The ball just turned back a bit and disturbed the timbers.

Brook, perhaps wanted the Chepauk deck to engulf him, but could only manage a wry smile before walking back to the pavilion amid glares from the Indian players. The English batter's smog claim was ludicrous, to say the least, but at least a decent score of his bat in Chennai would have given him some poetic justice, but it was not to be.

The English batter is a top player and may improve on his spin-playing skills in the coming days. But perhaps the 'Smog' excuse was beyond childish from a reputed international batter.