IND vs ENG: England Makes A Comeback In T20 Series

In the third IND vs ENG T20I match of the series held in Rajkot, England won over India by 26 runs, keeping their hopes alive in the series. India could not reach the target of 172 runs and was bowled out for 146 runs. Despite the best efforts of mystery spinner Varun Chakraborty, India’s batting woes were too much to overcome.

England’s Strong Innings and India’s Bowling Response In 3rd IND vs ENG T20

The Indian team bowled first and made one change to the playing XI by bringing in Mohammed Shami, replacing injured Arshdeep Singh, but he failed to make a mark, not taking a single wicket from his spell. On the other hand, Hardik Pandya, who replaced injured Arshdeep, did a great job for India as he got them off to a flier by sending out Phil Salt in his very first over.

After the dismissal of Salt, Jos Buttler and Ben Duckett were key and saw England’s score cross 80. The scoreboard looked great for England and it seemed they were on the way to a good total. India finally drew a breakthrough when Jos Buttler got trapped in Varun Chakraborty’s net. He was initially declared not out by the umpire but upon India’s review, India took his wicket, which was their first successful review in the series.

With Buttler’s departure, the wickets began to fall at regular intervals. Duckett was the next to go, dismissed by Axar Patel on the final ball of the next over. Varun Chakraborty continued to be the star bowler for India, picking up two quick wickets in the 14th over. He sent both Jamie Overton and Jamie Smith back to the pavilion on consecutive balls, leaving England reeling at 115 for 6.

Liam Livingstone’s Glamour Keeps Hopes Alive of England

Livingstone kept batting at the crease despite wickets falling continuously. At one stage, the English batsmen did not understand how to play Indian spinners. Meanwhile, Livingstone took confidence and hit some aggressive shots against the Indian spinners. He particularly went aggressive against Ravi Bishnoi and hit three consecutive sixes from his bowling in the 17th over. At that stage, England’s total was moving toward 150.

Livingstone’s knock of 29 runs came to an end in the 18th over when he was dismissed while attempting a big hit against Hardik Pandya. But Adil Rashid and Mark Wood held on to add crucial runs to take England’s total to 171/8 in their 20 overs, setting a target of 172 runs for India.

India’s Batting Collapse in the Chase

Sanju Samson once again fell cheaply to start the Indian chase of 172 runs. For the third consecutive match in the series, Samson fell to Jofra Archer on a short-pitched delivery. Abhishek Sharma, who had looked in good touch, also fell victim to Brydon Carse’s bowling as he miss-timed a shot and was sent back to the pavilion.

India’s captain, Suryakumar Yadav, who had been struggling for form, seemed to show signs of a return to form with a quick six and a four. However, his cameo was cut short when he was dismissed for 13 runs in the powerplay, bowled out by Mark Wood. At 48/3, India was already in a difficult position.

Hardik Pandya and Tilak Verma Attempt to Steady the Ship

Hardik Pandya and Tilak Verma were now given the responsibility of rebuilding the innings after Suryakumar’s dismissal. Hardik tried to anchor the chase, but Verma, who was in good form, fell to Adil Rashid’s spin for 11 runs. This wicket further dampened India’s hopes of chasing the target as the required run rate climbed.

Hardik and Washington Sundar tried to steady the innings, but the pressure from the English bowlers continued relentlessly. At the loss of Washington Sundar in the 13th over, India had scored only 83 runs and it was reaching unimaginable heights in the asking rate.

The final push: Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya’s late fightback

Axar Patel joined Hardik Pandya, and both tried to keep India’s hopes alive. However, Axar’s dismissal to Archer in the 18th over left India needing 49 runs off just 16 balls. Hardik Pandya gave a brief glimpse of hope by hitting a boundary off Archer, but the hope was short-lived. Hardik’s wicket, taken by Jamie Overton in the first ball of the 19th over, effectively ended India’s chances of winning.

India was bowled out for 146, which left the team 26 runs short of the target. The bowlers of England, especially Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, and Adil Rashid, kept the powerful batting line-up of India at bay, not losing their nerve.

England Keeps the Series Alive

England managed to win Rajkot by 26 runs, thereby keeping themselves in the series that is now 2-1 in favor of India. Varun Chakraborty was very promising, and the way the batting collapsed as a unit meant that Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel tried to get India back in the game.

However, the disciplined bowling from England and the hundred from Liam Livingstone in the end should have been enough for England to get a competitive total, which India ultimately failed to get. As the series continues, both teams will look to capitalize on the strengths they have displayed and work on their weaknesses in the next match.

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