RAJKOT: First, the good news. Mohammed Shami made a decent, much-awaited return to international cricket after nearly 14 months, conceding 25 runs for no wickets in three overs and hitting a six towards the closing stages of the match. But it was Varun Chakravarthy who dominated the show, continuing to torment the Englishmen. The ‘mystery spinner’ took his maiden five-wicket haul in India (five for 24 in five overs).
Now comes the bad news. Varun’s superb effort went in vain as India, batting poorly, were restricted by England’s much-improved bowlers to 146 for nine in 20 overs, losing by 26 runs to suffer their first defeat of the series in the third T20I at the Niranjan Shah Stadium here on Tuesday night.
Given that the scoreline is 2-1 in favor of India now, England will look to equalise the score when they take on the hosts in the fourth T20I at Pune on Friday.
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Chasing 172, India lost wickets at regular intervals as England’s bowlers, led by Jamie Overton (3-23 in four overs), Jofra Archer (2-33), Brydon Carse (2-29), and leggie Adil Rashid (1-15 in four overs), who had earlier chipped in with a vital 10 not out, kept up the pressure.
Enduring a poor series after smashing back-to-back centuries in South Africa, the inconsistent Sanju Samson (3) was caught at mid-on off Archer in the third over, while Abhishek Sharma (24, 14b, 5×4), who looked dangerous, was brilliantly caught by Archer, sprinting at cover, off Brydon Carse in the fourth over.
India’s T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav’s (14) poor run continued as he top-edged a pull off Mark Wood, with ‘keeper Phil Salt completing the catch, while the in-form Tilak Varma (17) was castled by a beauty of a leg-spinner from Rashid in the ninth over. Hardik Pandya (40, 35b, 1×4, 2×6) kept India in the game for a while, but was left throwing his bat in frustration after being caught by Overton at long-off.
India’s strategy of playing four spinners in a T20 match backfired badly on the night. While Varun toyed with England’s batters, Bishnoi went for 1-46 in four overs, and off-spinner Washington Sundar, who was out for 6 batting at No 6, conceded 15 in the only over he bowled.
Earlier, succumbing to Varun’s bag of tricks, England, who were flying at 83 for one in nine overs, with opener Ben Duckett (51, 28b, 7×4, 2×6) and skipper Jos Buttler (24, 22b, 1×4, 1×6) going great guns, lost nine wickets for 64 runs in a space of just 49 balls to slip to 147 for nine by the 18th over.
Coming on to bowl in the sixth over, Varun gave away just three runs as both Duckett, who stroked his second T20I half-century, and Buttler looked to play him cautiously. However, once Buttler gloved a reverse sweep behind off the spinner, the floodgates opened.
After Axar Patel had Duckett mistiming a hit to cow corner and Brook (8), who is enduring a horror run in this series, was bowled while under-edging a sweep off Bishnoi (his first wicket of the series), Varun began to slice through the England batting.
Breathing fire, he was on a hat-trick in the 14th over as England’s ‘keeper-bat Jamie Smith (6) dragged him down to cow corner, while Jamie Overton (0) lost his leg stump while trying to paddle the bowler, going too far across.
Brydon Carse (3) staved off the hat-trick, but perished soon, mistiming a sweep to give Tilak Varma a catch at deep square leg. Two balls later, Jofra Archer (0) was castled by a beauty that skidded off the pitch.
Just as England were looking in danger of not even lasting for their full quota of 20 overs, the visitors’ Nos 10 and 11, Adil Rashid (10 not out) and Mark Wood (10 not out), did extremely well to hold on for 17 balls, adding 24 crucial runs in a 10th-wicket partnership—England’s joint-second best in T20Is—to take the score to 171 for nine in 20 overs.
After Suryakumar won the toss for the third successive time and put England in, Liam Livingstone (43, 24b, 5×6, 1×6) launched a blistering counterattack, slog-sweeping and pulling Bishnoi for three sixes in the 17th over.
With England’s batters failing to read him and making it worse for themselves by trying to play across the line to him, Varun has now taken 10 wickets for just 85 runs in the series so far, at an average of 8.50 and an economy rate of 7.08.
The tweaker is the first bowler to take 10 wickets in a bilateral T20I series between India and England. Have India missed a trick by not picking the 33-year-old for the Champions Trophy next month, even considering questions around his fielding?
Since his comeback after three years in the wilderness last year, Varun has taken 27 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 11.00 and a strike rate of 8.8 (per wicket).
Earlier, India rested left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, giving Shami some game time at last.
