India vs England 3rd T20: England Wins by 26 Runs

India vs England 3rd T20: England Wins by 26 Runs Despite Varun Chakravarthy’s Heroics

At the Niranjan Shah Stadium, Rajkot, England faced India for the third T20 contest on January 28, where they emerged victorious by 26 runs. India was unable to meet the target of 172 runs despite Chakravarthy’s five wicket haul alongside Pandya’s fighting 40 runs.

Pathetic Run Chase by the Indians

Winning the toss and opting to bowl first on a low-bounce pitch proved costly for India. Chasing 172, the Indian batting lineup faltered against England’s disciplined bowling attack.

India’s start was shaky as Sanju Samson fell for just 3 runs, once again struggling with short balls. The team was 16/1 after 2.2 overs. Abhishek Sharma showed some promise but departed after scoring 22 runs off 14 balls, courtesy of a brilliant catch by Jofra Archer.

Tilak Verma, who had been in fine form in previous games, was bowled by Adil Rashid for 18 runs. Captain Suryakumar Yadav tried to anchor the innings with his trademark aggressive shots but was dismissed for 14 runs off 7 balls. By the 12th over, India was in trouble at 85/5.

Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel gave a glimmer of hope, but Axar’s dismissal for 15 runs and Hardik’s departure on Jamie Overton’s delivery sealed India’s fate. The lower order failed to contribute, with Mohammed Shami and Dhruv Jurel scoring just 7 and 2 runs, respectively. India managed only 145/9 in 20 overs, falling short by 26 runs.

England’s Outstanding Bowling Performance

Jamie Overton destroyed the Indian batting line-up, taking 3 wickets, while England’s Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer picked up two wickets apiece. Mark Wood and Adil Rashid joined the party, taking 1 wicket each, which completed the devastation to India’s batting lineup.

England’s innings: An average performance

Prior, the English side posted 171/9 within their 20 overs. The English team was put to bat first. Things started on a rough note as they lost Phil Salt to Hardik Pandya early in the game. However, Ben Duckett, who came in, scored 51 runs off 28 balls, while Jos Buttler, who scored 24 runs on 22 balls, ensured there was no more loss through their strong partnership.

From the Indian side, Varun Chakravarthy led the list of bowlers with five scalps, placing the England team under significant pressure. He picked the wickets of butler, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, and Jofa Archer to earn 5 for 24 in 4 overs

Liam Livingstone smashed England to a decent score after his blistering 43 in just 24 balls, which included three sixes in an over off Ravi Bishnoi. Hardik, alongside the two wickets he picked in 4 overs conceding 33 runs, bowled exceptionally as well. One wicket was also taken by Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi.

Varun Chakravarthy: player of the match

Despite losing, Chakravarthy’s match-winning bowling certainly earned him the prize. His five wickets almost created an opportunity of restricting England; however, the Indian batters fell short on matching his hard work.

Conclusion

By winning this game, England kept the 5-match series alive and confirmed their strength in bowling and batting. Finishing remains to be an issue alongside the strong inconsistencies of the Indian top order in anticipation for the next few games.

This is a big wake-up call for India, and it is time for them to start working harder to instead improve their game on pitches without much bounce to make it more impactful later on.