England has made the series exciting by defeating India. The series is now well-contested, with England making a strong comeback. Jos Buttler’s team secured a crucial victory in a do-or-die situation, winning the third T20 match against India. The five-match series now stands at 2-1.
On Tuesday in Rajkot, England won the third T20 by 26 runs. After losing the toss, the Three Lions posted 171 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. In response, the hosts were restricted to 146 runs, losing 9 wickets.
India entered the match aiming to seal the series with two games in hand, while for England, it was a must-win encounter to stay alive in the series.
England’s Innings:
Losing the toss and batting first, England lost Phil Salt in the second over. However, opener Ben Duckett launched an aggressive counterattack, forming a 76-run partnership off 45 balls with Buttler. The stand was broken when Varun Chakravarthy dismissed the England captain, caught behind for 24 runs off 22 balls. Duckett reached his half-century but departed soon after, scoring 51 runs off 28 balls.
Later, Liam Livingstone played a crucial knock, almost single-handedly guiding England to a competitive total. He smashed five sixes and a four, scoring 43 runs off 24 balls. At the end, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood added a valuable 24-run partnership for the last wicket, both scoring 10 runs each.
India’s Run Chase:
India struggled from the beginning, losing wickets at regular intervals. Jofra Archer broke the opening partnership in the third over by dismissing Sanju Samson (3). Abhishek Sharma showed some intent but was dismissed for 24 runs off 14 balls.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav (14) couldn’t anchor the innings, and previous match hero Tilak Varma was dismissed for 18 runs. Washington Sundar managed only 6 runs off 15 balls. By 12.1 overs, India had lost five wickets for just 85 runs.
Although Hardik Pandya stayed at the crease for a long time, he couldn’t keep up with the required run rate. Before getting out in the 19th over, he scored 40 runs off 35 balls, which only reduced the margin of defeat.
Among the last six batters, five failed to reach double digits. Reece Topley was England’s most successful bowler, taking 3 wickets for 24 runs. Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer picked up two wickets each. Axar Patel scored 15 runs off 16 balls.
With this victory, England has kept the series alive, making the remaining matches crucial for both teams.
