In the third T20I, England defeated India by 8 wickets. Virat Kohli hit a fast-paced 77 not out, but it was not enough to prevent England from winning the match on Tuesday and taking a 2-1 lead. Jos Buttler, at his imperious peak, smashed 83 runs off 52 balls to help England easily chase down a 157-run mark.
Virat Kohli led the way for India with an unbeaten 46-ball 77. Mark Wood (3/31) was England’s most effective bowler with three wickets, though Chris Jordon (1/35) took one. Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, won the toss and opted to bat against India. In place of medium pacer Tom Curran, England brought back pacer Mark Wood. Suryakumar Yadav was replaced by Rohit Sharma as India’s vice-captain. Ishan Kishan, who had opened the previous game, batted third.
When Jos Buttler was on strike, Rishabh Pant could be heard on the stump mic attempting to rile up the Indian bowlers. Despite a batting masterclass from Virat Kohli in the 5-match series, India was unable to eliminate the explosive England opener who made light work of a 157-run mark in the third T20I and helped the visitors take a 2-1 lead.
In the T20I series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Jos Buttler made excellent use of the conditions during England’s chase, as the tradition of teams batting second winning the match continues. Buttler was at his most ruthless, attacking both India’s pacers and spinners.
Captain Virat Kohli dropped Buttler on 76, and the England opener finished with a career-best 83 off 52 balls as England chased down the target in 18.2 overs. Despite losing Jason Roy (9) and Dawid Malan (18) early on, England was able to clinch the victory thanks to a 77-run third-wicket stand between Buttler and Jonny Bairstow (40 not out off 25).
Top order collapsed
India got off to the worst possible start after being given the chance to bat first, losing openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma early in the Powerplay. Rahul’s bad run with the bat persisted as he was dismissed for 0 in his third T20I innings.
In the fifth over, Rohit (15) was also dismissed after throwing a simple catch to Chris Jordan at a short fine leg. Ishan Kishan, a young player, was also taken in by the tempo and bounce. Jos Buttler, the wicketkeeper, took an excellent catch when running backward and got a huge top-edge.
After an unlucky run-out against England in the third T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant had to walk back. Pant, who was batting on 25 after India’s top-order collapse, opted to follow skipper Virat Kohli’s call for the third run, but he was well short of the crease.
