Team India did produce a spirited performance with the bat against England in the fourth Twenty20 International at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday. It was debutant Suryakumar Yadav, who struck a well-deserved 57, as India rode to a thrilling eight-run win.
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Winning the toss, English skipper Eoin Morgan invited the host to bat first, as he moved in with the same winning XI. Indian skipper Virat Kohli made a couple of changes, with Suryakumar coming in for an injured Ishan Kishan, while Rahul Chahar, too, got a chance.
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Although the Indian openers looked to get to a steady start, with 21 runs on board, Rohit Sharma was the first to fall for 12 after being caught and bowled by pacer Jofra Archer in the fourth over. It was followed by a healthy 42-run stand between fellow opener KL Rahul and Suryakumar, as the latter hit a classic six off the first ball he faced.
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In the eighth over, Rahul handed a simple catch to Archer off pacer Ben Stokes and departed for a mere 14. Just seven runs later, in the next over, Kohli was stumped off spinner Adil Rashid for just a single.
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Nonetheless, Surykumar continued his charge along with wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, while he also scored his maiden T20I half-century in the process. Following a 30-run stand for the fourth wicket, at 110, Surykumar was caught by Dawid Malan and deep fine leg off pacer Sam Curran in the 14th over. However, his dismissal remained controversial after replays suggested that the catch was not a clean one, with the third umpire surprisingly sticking to the on-field call.
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Nevertheless, Pant was supported by Shreyas Iyer briefly before the former departed for 30 after Archer bowled him up in the 17th over. Iyer and Hardik Pandya batted until the 19th over, contributing 26 runs together before the latter departed for 11 to pacer Mark Wood after being caught by Stokes at covers.Five runs later, in the final over, all-rounder Washington Sundar was caught by Rashid at the boundary off Archer for just four, with the third umpire having a look at another close call Rashid's feet touching the boundary. Nonetheless, Shardul Thakur could manage five runs in the final two deliveries, as India posted a challenging total of 1858.
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As for the English bowlers, six were utilised, with Archer being the most effective. Meanwhile, Wood was the most economical of all.
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The English openers began the chase on a shaky note, as with just 15 runs on the board, wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler fell for a mere nine to seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar after being caught by KL Rahul in the third over. Nonetheless, it was followed by a 45-run stand between fellow opener Jason Roy and Dawid Malan before the latter departed for 14 to spinner Chahar, who knocked him over in the eighth over.
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The next over, just six runs later, Roy fell for 40 to pacer Pandya after being caught by Suryakumar. Nevertheless, a 65-run stand for the fourth wicket followed between Jonny Bairstow and Stokes before the former departed for 25 to Chahar after Sundar caught him in the 15th over.
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Nine runs later, consecutive twin wickets from pacer Shardul Thakur, in the 17th over, in the form of Ben Stokes (46) and Eoin Morgan (4), brought India back into the game. It was then 13 runs later, at 153, Pandya knocked over Curran for just three.
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The final over saw high drama, with Archer slamming ten and the equation coming down to 12 off three, while intense pressure forced Thakur to bowl a couple of wides. Nonetheless, he managed to get rid of Jordan in the second last ball, while the final ball turned out to be a dot, as India won by eight runs, setting up the final T20I on Saturday as the decider.
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For the Indian bowlers, five were utilised, with Pandya being the most economical of all. Nonetheless, Thakur was the most effective.Brief scores: India 1858 (Suryakumar 57, Pant 30, Iyer 37; Archer 433) beat England 1778 (Roy 40, Stokes 46; Thakur 342) by eight runs.
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