England Outplays India to Keep T20 Series Alive: England kept their hopes alive in the five-match T20 series with a spirited 26-run victory over India in the third game at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday. The tourists, trailing 2-0 after losses in Kolkata and Chennai, produced a clinical performance to deny India an early series win.
Put in to bat, England posted a challenging total of 171-9, anchored by Ben Duckett’s scintillating 51 off 26 balls and a composed 43 from Liam Livingstone. Captain Jos Buttler added 24 during a 76-run partnership with Duckett, which provided England with a solid foundation.
India’s Varun Chakravarthy was the standout bowler, claiming a brilliant 5-24. The mystery spinner wreaked havoc in the middle overs, dismissing Buttler and triggering a collapse. Chakravarthy came close to a hat-trick, removing Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton on consecutive deliveries, but narrowly missed out. Livingstone counter-attacked late in the innings, smashing Ravi Bishnoi for three sixes in one over, which proved crucial in pushing England past 170. Mohammed Shami, returning to international cricket after a year-long absence, bowled economically, conceding only 25 runs in his three overs despite going wicketless.
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Chasing 172, India faltered early as Jofra Archer (2-33) struck twice, dismissing opener Sanju Samson and taking a superb tumbling catch to remove Abhishek Sharma, who made a quick 24. Mark Wood and Adil Rashid continued the onslaught, removing Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, respectively, to put England firmly in control.
Hardik Pandya fought valiantly with a defiant 40, keeping India’s hopes alive. However, the hosts struggled to string together partnerships as England’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding kept them under pressure. Pandya’s dismissal in the penultimate over effectively sealed the game for England, as India were restricted to 145-9.
The victory marks England’s first win under their new white-ball coach Brendon McCullum and sets up an intriguing fourth T20 in Pune on Friday. With the series now at 2-1, both teams will be eager to take momentum into the next game.
