Rajkot: The England cricket team on Tuesday kept themselves alive in a five T20I series against India by defeating India after two losses in his 3rd T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium.
England bowlers, led by a masterful spell from Adil Rashid, held their nerve to deliver a comprehensive 26-run victory over India. The disciplined and strategic bowling performance allowed England to narrow down the score to 1-2 and keep alive their hopes in the series.
Earlier in the day, India won the toss and chose to bowl on a surface offering grip and turn. England’s innings got off to a mixed start, with opener Ben Duckett boosting the innings with a blistering 51 off 28 balls. His stroke play, particularly against the pacers, set the tone early. Liam Livingstone provided the middle-order thrust with a spirited knock of 43 off 24 balls, featuring some clean strikes over the boundary.
However, the rest of the English batting lineup faltered against the guile of Varun Chakravarthy. The mystery spinner dismantled the English middle and lower order with a career-best 5 for 24, ably supported by Hardik Pandya (2-33) and Axar Patel. Despite England losing wickets at regular intervals, their tail managed to drag the total to 171 for 9—a competitive score on a tricky surface.
India’s pursuit of 172 began cautiously, with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma opening the innings. England’s pacers, led by Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, bowled probing lines to restrict the scoring rate. Samson’s struggles ended in the third over when he attempted an expansive shot but was cramped for room, sending a simple catch to Adil Rashid. He departed for just 3.
Abhishek Sharma showed promise with a flurry of boundaries, including back-to-back fours off Mark Wood. However, his aggression led to his downfall as he mistimed a big hit off Brydon Carse. Jofra Archer’s brilliant running catch sent him packing for a quickfire 24 off 14 balls, leaving India at 35/2. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav walked in and briefly lifted India’s hopes with his trademark flair. A six over fine-leg and a boundary off Archer had the fans cheering, but his attempt to scoop Mark Wood resulted in a top-edge to the keeper, ending his cameo at 14 off 7 balls.
Tilak Varma, hero of India’s win in the second T20I, and all-rounder Hardik Pandya took on the rebuilding task, but England’s spinners, particularly Rashid, kept the pressure on. Rashid’s variations foxed the Indian batters, culminating in Tilak’s dismissal for 18 off 14. By the halfway mark, India were reeling at 78/4, requiring 94 runs from the remaining 10 overs.
Washington Sundar joined Hardik Pandya, but the boundaries dried up as England’s bowlers tightened their grip. Sundar struggled to rotate the strike and eventually chipped a slower delivery from Jamie Overton straight to Jos Buttler. Sundar’s scratchy innings of 6 off 15 balls left India in a precarious position at 86/5 after 13 overs.
With 72 runs needed off the last five overs, Hardik and Axar Patel tried to accelerate but found it challenging against England’s disciplined bowling. Brydon Carse’s 16th over yielded just seven runs, with Axar managing a boundary to the mid-wicket fence. Mark Wood’s 17th over provided a brief spark for India. Pandya smashed a massive six over long-on, followed by a boundary that momentarily revived India’s hopes. However, England struck back in the 18th over when Jofra Archer removed Axar Patel for 15 off 16 balls, leaving Hardik with an uphill task.
Jamie Overton sealed the match for England in the 19th over. Pandya mistimed a lofted shot off a slower delivery, offering a simple catch to Buttler at long-on. His valiant knock of 40 off 35 balls ended India’s chances of a miraculous comeback. Overton’s over yielded just seven runs, leaving 34 needed off the final over.Brydon Carse wrapped up the proceedings with an excellent final over, dismissing Dhruv Jurel off the first ball. India eventually finished at 145/7, falling short by 26 runs.
Brief scores:
England 171/9 in 20 overs (Ben Duckett 51, Liam Livingstone 43, Varun Chakravarthy 5-24, Hardik Pandya 2-33) beat India 145/9 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 40, Abhishek Sharma 24; Jamie Overton 3-24, Brydon Crase 2-24) by 26 runs.