India faced a 26-run defeat against England in the third T20I match held in Rajkot While chasing a target of 172, India consistently lost wickets and Hardik Pandya emerged as the top scorer with 40 runs. Prior to that, Varun Chakravarthy delivered an impressive performance by taking five wickets, as England reached 171/9 within their allotted 20 overs. Ben Duckett led with 51 runs, and Liam Livingstone contributed a useful 43 off 24 balls. In a dramatic seven-over span, England lost seven wickets due to Chakravarthy’s destructive spell. On his return to the Indian team after 14 months, pacer Mohammed Shami remained wicketless. England’s Bowlers Hit Bullseye to Keep T20 Series Alive By 2-1 Against India .
Toss:
India won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Teams Lineup:
India Squad:
Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Dhruv Jurel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy
England Squad:
Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith (wk), Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
England:
The visiting team aimed to overcome India with a strong counter-attack. Up until the end of the ninth over, this strategy appeared promising, with Jos Buttler and Ben Duckett in the center and the score at 83 for 1. However, Varun Chakravarthy, known for troubling opponents, disrupted their play. He bowled a delivery softer than Buttler expected, resulting in an edge to the wicketkeeper.
When Buttler and Duckett were at the crease, the batting seemed easy. During a span of seven balls across the fourth and fifth overs, bowled by Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar, Duckett hit five boundaries and a six. Buttler couldn’t match the same pace, but after reverse-sweeping Bishnoi for a four in the seventh over, he managed a six off a pitched-up delivery from the leg-spinner over long-on.
However, facing Chakravarthy proved challenging for the English batsmen. His cunning spin variations troubled them as Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton fell to consecutive deliveries in the 14th over. In the last over of Chakravarthy’s spell, Brydon Carse was caught at deep square leg and Jofra Archer was bowled by a googly. England’s innings faltered from 83 for 1 to 127 for 8 within seven overs, with Chakravarthy finishing with five wickets.
Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi, fellow spinners, joined forces with Chakravarthy and completely disrupted England’s flow. Duckett misjudged a big hit off Axar to mid-on, and Harry Brook accidentally hit a sweep off Bishnoi onto his stumps. Liam Livingstone provided some relief with a late charge, scoring 43 from 24 balls. He hit Bishnoi for three sixes in the 17th over but got out in the following over. England’s last batters, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood, handled the remaining balls to push their total to a decent 171 for 8, which ended up being a competitive, winning score.
INDIA-
Initially, the game seemed in India’s favor thanks to Abhishek Sharma’s quick start, but it got more interesting after Suryakumar Yadav top-edged a shot to Phil Salt in the last powerplay over, leaving India at 48 for 3. His aggressive play and Abhishek Sharma’s contribution were cancelled out when both, along with Sanju Samson, got dismissed, putting India into a rebuilding mode early on.
Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma managed the situation with composure, but Indian batsmen found it tough against Adil Rashid’s spin. With turn available, the leg spinner cleverly used his pace variations, and Varma was bowled out by a sharply spinning delivery that caught him off guard in the ninth over.
Washington Sundar also struggled against Rashid’s enticing deliveries, which combined turn with loop and lack of pace. His 14-ball knock for 6 runs during the middle overs gave England the upper hand. Rashid completed a great spell, giving away just 15 runs.
The pitch was playing slow and low, and Hardik Pandya couldn’t capitalize on big hits. The English pacers mixed up their speeds effectively, blending slower balls with quick deliveries. Despite a few sixes, there were many mistimed shots resulting in singles. Axar Patel faced similar difficulties, scoring 16 from 15 balls before top-edging Jofra Archer to short third man.
As the required run rate increased beyond reach, India’s chances dwindled, resulting in a series of wickets. Shami top-edged his hit to deep long-on, and Dhruv Jurel lofted a shot to the keeper. Bishnoi hit the last ball for a boundary, but it was too little, too late for India.
Brief Scores:
England scored 171/9 in 20 overs (Ben Duckett 51, Liam Livingstone 43; Varun Chakravarthy 5-24, Hardik Pandya 2-33) defeated India 145/9 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 40, Abhishek Sharma 24; Jamie Overton 3-24, Brydon Carse 2-28) by 26 runs.