Varun's fifer to Suryakumar's poor form: 5 key talking points from India's defeat to England in 3 T20I

Though India lost to England in the third T20I of the five-match series, there are major takeaways from the match at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot.

Varuns fifer to Suryakumars poor form: 5 key talking points from Indias defeat to England in 3rd T20I HRD

After two consecutive defeats in the ongoing T20I series, England bounced back in style to win the third T20I against India at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday, January 28. After posting a total of 171/9, thanks to incredible performance by Ben Duckett (51) and Liam Livingstone (43), England managed to defend the total by restricting India  to 145/9 in 20 overs. 

Spinner Adil Rashid was the most economical bowler as he picked a wicket while conceding just 15 runs at an economy rate of 3.80. Jamie Overton led England's bowling attack as he registered figures 3/24 at an economy rate of 6 in his quota of four overs. Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer picked two wickets each. 

For India, Hardik Pandya put on a valiant effort with an innings of 40 off 35 balls, but went in vain. Apart from Pandya, none of the batters failed to step up for the team when they were needed the most. 

Apart from India’s defeat to England in the third T20I, let’s take a look at three major takeaways from the match. 

1.   Varun Chakravarthy resurgence continues 

Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy’s impressive run of form continued as he scalped his second five-wicket haul of his T20I career in the third match of the five-match series in Rajkot. Chakravarthy picked the wickets of Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer to register the figures of 5/24 at an economy rate of 6 in his quota of four overs. Varun Chakravarthy is currently the leading wicket-taker of the series, with 10 wickets. Ever since the Tamil Nadu bowler made his comeback to international cricket in the T20I series against Bangladesh last year, he picked 27 wickets in 10 matches. Given his impressive form, Varun Chakravarthy has been reportedly considered for long-term future in India’s T20I side. 

2. Suryakumar Yadav’s lacklustre performance 

Suryakumar Yadav’s struggle with the form has continued as he was dismissed for just 14 runs during India’s 172-run chase against England in the third T20I. In the T20I series opener in Kolkata, Team India captain was dismissed for a three-ball duck, followed by just 12 runs off seven balls in the second T20I in Chennai. Suryakumar Yadav’s recent struggles have been a cause for concern for Team India management as he has not been too impactful in the ongoing series against England. After being appointed as the captain Suryakumar Yadav has aggregated 256, including two fifties, at an average of 21.33 in 13 matches. This has raised questions whether captaincy responsibility has affected Suryakumar’s form. 

3. Harry Brook’s spin struggle 

England vice-captain Harry Brook’s struggle against spin has been one of the talking points in the third T20I against India in Rajkot. Brook was dismissed for just 8 runs by spinner Ravi Bishnoi. In the last two matches of the ongoing series, the 25-year-old was dismissed twice by Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy for 17 and 13 in Kolkata and Chennai, respectively. After England's defeat in the T20I series opener at the Eden Gardens, Harry Brook blamed the ‘smog’ as the reason England batters’ struggle against spin bowling. He was brutally trolled by the Indian cricket fans as well as former India captains Ravi Shastri and Sunil Gavaskar as Harry Brook continued to struggle against spin bowling despite there was no smog in Chennai and Rajkot. 

4. Mohammed Shami’s wicketless on India return 

Veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami did not have an ideal return to international cricket after 14 months as he failed to pick a single wicket while conceding 25 runs in three years, Shami was not included in the playing XI for the first two matches of the ongoing series as the Team India management was not satisfied with his recovery as he was bowling in the nets with his knee heavily strapped. His participation for the third T20I was confirmed by India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak. Mohammed Shami replaced Arshdeep Singh in the playing XI, but didn’t live up to the expectations of the fans who long awaited to see him don the Indian jersey. 

5. Sanju Samson lacked consistency 

After playing a quickfire knock of 26 off 20 balls in the first T20I, Sanju Samson failed to fire up in the next two matches of the ongoing T20I series against England. In the third T20I, Samson failed to deliver at the top-order as he was dismissed for just 3 runs. In the last match in Chennai, wicketkeeper-batter scored just 5 runs off 7 balls. The inconsistent performance by Sanju Samson has raised concerns about his ability to perform consistently as an opener. In three matches, Samson scored 34 runs at an average of 11.33. 

The fourth T20I of the five-match series between India and England will take place at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31. 

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