Hello and welcome to Sportstar's Highlights of the fifth T20I between India and England from the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
A thrilling series has earned itself a cracking finish as India fought back from the jaws of defeat once again to seal its ninth-straight T20I series win!
After a ballistic batting display led by the senior stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli with the addition of flair and panache from Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya, helped India to a mammoth 224/2!
REPORT:
However, England despite a initial blotch, breezed through the first-half of the chase with striking fifties from Dawid Malan and Jos Buttler setting it up. The Indian skipper soon brought back his talisman, Bhuvneshwar Kumar who put another crack before fellow pacers Thakur, Pandya and Natarajan broke the door down as England eventually found itself short by 36 runs! If there was ever a T20I series that had all the thrills and spills lately, it's got to be this very series that will hog the limelight and the win will certainly flare India's hopes ahead of the IPL and the T20 World Cup.
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England 188/8 after 20 overs: Chris Jordan falls to Thakur but Sam Curran has come in to hit two sixes off the last three balls, a little to too late even as the final ball of the series lands in the park. India win the series 3-2 by a comfortable 36-run margin!
England 167/7 after 19 overs: Natarajan to Stokes. OUT! He has no option but to go at it and has edged it straight to Pant. Archer the new man has a short stay too as he is run out, trying to run back for a double. India has sealed the deal, nearly! Ben Stokes c †Pant b Natarajan 14 (12b 2x4), Archer run out 1
England 163/5 after 18 overs: Bhuvneshwar finishes his spell with another excellent over. Just seven from the over. His figures read 4-0-16-2.
England 156/5 after 17 overs: Stokes on the charge and giving it a go. Two boundaries down the ground but England will need many more of that. And a run-out chance missed as Stokes looked to dab it straight to Natarajan and go for a single but the bowler misses the stumps with an underarm throw.
England 144/5 after 16 overs: Pandya to Morgan. OUT! The skipper perishes as well. England is losing its way here and how! Eoin Morgan c sub (KL Rahul) b Pandya 1 (4b)
England 142/4 after 15 overs: Thakur turns it around with twin strikes! The danger man Malan and Bairstow are sent back in one over!
England 130/2 after 13 overs: Bhuvneshwar to Buttler. OUT! A stellar over from Bhuvi finally has its reward as Buttler mistimes the slog towards Pandya at long-off! Just three runs off the over! Is this is what will change the game in India's favour?
India is forced to bring Bhuvneshwar into the attack.
England 127/1 after 12 overs: FIFTY FOR JOS BUTTLER! He has brought up the milestone in 30 balls despite playing second-fiddle. Unlike the Indian innings where one attacked while the other kept chipping in, Buttler the anchor has done his task at a quick rate. Meanwhile, a low ball from Chahar beats Buttler but Pant reckons there's an under-edge. Kohli opts for a review but the replays show no deflection and Buttler continues to fight on!
England 120/1 after 11 overs: FIFTY FOR DAWID MALAN! The world no.1 has arrived under gruelling conditions.
Natarajan has been smashed around as Malan aces two boundaries and a whopping six over extra cover to put
India under massive pressure here.
England 104/1 after 10 overs: 100 off 58 balls | What a partnership has this been as Buttler and Malan have put England right back in this contest! Buttler greets Chahar with another stifling backfoot slog over the long-on boundary. Chahar, has however, kept the runs in check for the rest of the over. Some vacant expressions on Rohit and Virat as England has set this chase up with little risks put into the equation.
England 91/1 after 9 overs: And England enters the 90s! Pandya chips in with a decent over despite Malan striking the slower delivery down the ground to the boundary with incisive precision. Some worrying signs as frustration looms over Kohli's face.
England 82/1 after 8 overs: The Buttler carnage begins! Not a good induction into the attack for Chahar as the leggie is flayed over long-on and long-off by the England opener for two massive sixes. The runs are coming thick and fast for England here.
England 67/1 after 7 overs: Better returns for Thakur in his second as he concedes only five. The boundary from Malan would probably make it to the top of the highlights as reel as he steps down in absolutely nails it through point!
England 62/1 after 6 overs: Natarajan marks his return in a 7-run over with the powerplay done and dusted. Malan and Buttler are the main men for England's chase and if the duo manager to stay till the half-way mark, we might well be in for a close game.
England 55/1 after 5 overs: Malan and Buttler take England past 50 in quick time! Poor bowling up front from Thakur as a loose short ball finds itself in the top deck on the onside as Buttler pummels it with disdain. Malan gets into the act then with a swivel hit through fine leg as the boundaries begin to flow for the visitor.
England 41/1 after 4 overs: Buttler latches onto Sundar! Sundar sends in a loopy delivery and Buttler steps on it a jiffy and sends it to the long-on boundary. The offie corrects his length and darts in a shorter-straight delivery but Buttler has moved to the on-side and has smashes it over extra cover.
England 28/1 after 3 overs: Bhuvneshwar keeps it tight as he continued to attack his stumps before attempting a wide slower delivery to Malan. The elegant southpaw wallops it through extra-cover in some style. Bhuvi attempts to correct his line but ends up straying onto Malan's pads, the edge runs down to the boundary on the on-side.
England 19/1 after 2 overs: Malan pounces on Pandya! Hardik fends it short and pays the price as Malan makes a pasting of three successive deliveries gracing the deep midwicket boundary with two boundaries and a six.
England 1/1 after 1 overs: Bhuvneshwar to Roy. OUT! Bhuvneshwar cleans up the England bowler second ball!
This is the Bhuvneshwar of old as he tails one in ever so slightly as Roy attempts to step down and heave it through the leg-side. He misses it altogether as the scoreboard pressure has shown its ways early. Bhuvneshwar mixes up his inswingers and away-swingers deftly to put new man Dawid Malan under early pressure.
Jason Roy b Kumar 0 (2b)
The England openers Roy and Buttler are at the crease as Bhuvneshwar Kumar warms up with the new ball.
We are ready for the chase! India will not have easy with the ball with the dew playing its part. With a batting lineup that has the potential to run down any target, England will fancy its chances. India, however, has the cushion of six bowlers in this contest as an excellent second-half is on the cards.
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This has been a sensational batting performance from India as its senior-most batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli brought out their freaking best onto roll away the England bowlers. Rohit's incredible 64 and Kohli's well-measure 80 has put India well over probably even the par score as England's main bowlers Archer-Wood-Jordan accounted for a mind-boggling12-0-153-0 in the most encounter of the series!
India 224/2 after 20 overs: Kohli waltzes Archer as India finishes at 224/2! The highest-ever total by India against England in T20Is!
India 211/2 after 19 overs: India crosses 200 in emphatic fashion!! Pandya has slashes two massive sixes off Jordan , one over backward square of a thumping pull and another one in similar waters as he blazes one over the midwicket fence. This is the best of Pandya and the management's punt to push him up has paid dividends.
India 192/2 after 18 overs: Kohli puts the foot on the pedal! Wood seemed to have worked out the man who even, out of character, attempts a reverse slog and fails. 53 off 40 balls has forced Kohli to think out of the box. However, the Indian captain finds his resolve once again as he slays a flick and a swat-pull off a slower ball past the square boundary! A tough night for England's main man Wood as he finishes at: 4-0-53-0
India 181/2 after 17 overs: Muscle from Pandya as he creams a brute of a boundary through the cover region off Jordan. Jordan has kept it tight through the over but Kohli and Pandya find themselves under no pressure to deal in ones and twos.
India 170/2 after 16 overs: Skipper Kohli gets to his third fifty of the series!
The maverick is back to his usual self as he gets to the milestone. Hardik piles on the misery to Mark Wood further as he swats a shorter one past the long-off fielder after smashing one through mid-wicket to sneak in the boundaries.
India 157/2 after 15 overs:
Archer runs through a fine over only to be spoilt by a cheeky upper cut by Hardik Pandya. Pandya sends the pacy bumper over the wicketkeeper to the boundary as
India cruises past 150!
India 146/2 after 14 overs: Rashid to Suryakumar. OUT! Goodness me Jordan, what have you just done there! Suryakumar steps down to hit Rashid in that fine gap between deep midwicket and Jordan who is at long-on. SKY fails to time it well and there's a faint chance in the offing as the ball goes up in the air. Jordan sprints to his right and has the hold of the ball just within the boundary and he manages to roll it over to his teammate Roy before touching the fence! My word, the athleticism was out of the world there. As for India, blitz has put them in a position Hardik Pandya will come out to bat ahead of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Suryakumar Yadav c Roy b Rashid 32 (17b 3x4 2x6)
India 142/1 after 13 overs: Kohli makes his move with a cracking step-down six over the long-on fence. Curran, however, does well to keep the rest of the under check. England's put into tatters as Morgan has no found plans to stop the bleeding.
India 133/1 after 12 overs: Suryakumar unleashed! Jordan and England are in tatters as SKY hits them for three consecutive boundaries! Talk about the range of this man as he literally scoops one from inches away from the stumps on a middle-stump line and puts it behind fine leg. Jordan has no clue as he hits a similar shot helped by Rashid's misfield to the fence. Jordan slumps further as his best stock delivery, the yorker too is crafted away the boundary behind backward point by a near invincible Suryakumar Yadav!
India 115/1 after 11 overs: Stokes chips in with a rare quiet over as he beats Suryakumar on a couple of occasions with some deft change of pace on the ball. The off-cutter has done well to keep Surya guessing at his start while Kohli is yet to go all guns blazing tonight.
India 110/1 after 10 overs: Surya arrives in style! A massive six off Rashid down the ground brings India's 100. SKY follows it up with his trademark inside-out six over extra cover for another sizzling six. Geez, the raw power and finesse of this man!
India 94/1 after 9 overs: Stokes to Rohit. OUT! Rohit has dragged on. An excellent innings has come to a cold end.
The leg-cutter from Stokes flaws Rohit's timing as he chops back to the stumps. He is distraught as he looked well set for a 5th T20I hundred. Rohit began the over in some style as he smashed Stokes down the ground for a whopping six and a Nataraja adorned the fine leg boundary.
Rohit Sharma b Stokes 64 (34b 4x4 5x6)
India 81/0 after 8 overs: A fine over from Curran ends with a wry flick from Rohit that zooms into the night sky! 50 for the Hitman and the Indian carnage has begun.
India 60/0 after 6 overs: Rohit and Kohli smash Wood out of Motera! They have played the pace maniac with some authority as the short balls find themselves in the stands behind deep fine leg. Kohli finds the area first with a backfoot hook while Rohit aces his trademark front-foot pull to the same region. India cruises to 60/0 within the powerplay and the Hitman-Run Machin combo is on fire!
India 44/0 after 5 overs: A massive bumper from Archer has gone past everyone to the third man boundary. Archer, however, is quick to correct his line and keeps the batsmen quiet after that particular delivery.
India 35/0 after 4 overs: The Hitman is in the mood! Rohit has blasted two 150km deliveries from Wood down the ground to the boundary. Wood keeps it fairly straight to Rohit as takes out the horizontal shots first-up with pace. Rohit, is cramped but is quick to trust his supreme bat swing and the ball off the pitch. Rohit stands up straight and swings the bat down the ground. Two similar shots of authority nearly has Wood on all fours!
Mark Wood enters the attack.
India 22/0 after 3 overs: Rohit finishes the over on a high. A sizzling six over long-on as Rashid gets the treatment instantly for a loose delivery. Rashid seemed to have put Rohit under some trouble as another googly wraps him on the pads. Eoin Morgan goes for the review and the replays suggest that the ball has slid down the leg-side by a big margin. Baffling call from the England captain. Rohit then lifts him off a rut as a tossed-up delivery from Rashid is slogged in typical disdain over the long-on fence.
India 13/0 after 2 overs: Kohli and Rohit welcomes Archer with boundaries! Archer takes no further ado to hit the high 140s but Kohli is ready to pounce on any loose delivery. Archer forces one a little outside off and Kohli advances and nails it past extra-cover. Terrific timing and precision as no one in the inner circle moved an inch. Rohit, still a shade tentative, but gets into the act with a checked drive through the covers to the boundary as well.
India 3/0 after 1 over: Rashid has kept the giants on the back foot!
Rashid tests Rohit up front with two googlies. Rohit picks it up late but manages to chip one for a single while rocking to the backfoot to defend one other. Rashid also goes up for an appeal after hitting Kohli's pads off the last ball but the it has slid down the leg-side.
Adil Rashid with the new ball.
We are ready for high-octane action! The blockbuster combo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli walk out to the middle as Eoin Morgan and Co. take the field!
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6:50PM: Stats of India's new T20I opening pair: First time Rohit and Kohli will open for India in T20Is
Early doors for VK right at the top but it shouldn't be an issue for the IPL maverick, would it? Would be interesting if the skipper takes this job seriously with a heap of openers in the fray.
6:40PM: Well, well, well! There's a massive announcement. Virat Kohli to open with Rohit Sharma as KL Rahul is replaced by T Natarajan.
VK might need some unique practice ahead of his next match day.
Toss: England has won the Toss and elected to Bowl
Warming up for the final battle.
And it's Toss Time!
6:10PM:
We are just 20 minutes away from the toss and the Indian contingent is seen going through its customary drills ahead of the contest. Kohli has a bit of throwdowns before pacing around the field.
6:00PM: It will be interesting to see India's combination going into the series decider. With Kishan fit, India will be tempted to start with the southpaw in place of KL Rahul who has hit a rough patch. The other probable inclusion could be of T Natarajan who is up and running as he joined the squad since the last game. Natarajan's inclusion could mean Sundar may find himself on the sidelines.
England meanwhile, is likely to retain its solidity and is poised to go unchanged.
5:50PM: Two teams on a fine streak in the T20I format, here are some numbers as the World No.1 and No.2 sides clash in the series decider:
4th T20I Review
In a pulsating series that has unveiled itself in Ahmedabad, India furnished another comeback from the brink in tremendous style on Friday.
India's new-age brand of cricket was not on full display up front with the bat with its core trio of Rohit, Kohli and KL having a blip in unison. However, it was the young superstar that ruled the roost with Suryakumar Yadav acing the fiery English pacemen in his maiden international innings.
India's SKY, slotted in at No.3, began as if he never left the scene as he took to the international game with tremendous flair - an unforgettable Nataraja scoop off a menacing Archer became the talk of the town soon enough. The dashing Suryakumar blazed his way through a cracking half-century that put India on the comeback trail and with solid cameos from Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer to back his cause, India posted its highest score in the series so far with 185 runs on board.
The chase went down to the wire with a slew of thrills and spills! England's chase was well on course with Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow putting them 66 away with 31 balls and seven wickets to spare before India snapped back. With an injured Virat Kohli soon leaving the field, Rohit Sharma took up the charge and deployed Shardul Thakur back in who accounted for Stokes and skipper Morgan off successive deliveries while Hardik Pandya and Bhuvneshwar Kumar kept the pressure on from the other end.
Despite an nerve-wracking last over, the host managed to scrap through by a whisker to level the series 2-2 and set up an exciting Super Sunday affair in Ahmedabad!
FORM GUIDE (last five matches)
India WLWLL
England LWLWW
TEAMS (from)
- India : Virat Kohli (c), Rohit Sharma, K. L. Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Rahul Tewatia, Ishan Kishan.
- England : Eoin Morgan (c), Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Chris Jordan, Mark Wood, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Jonny Bairstow, Jofra Archer.
WHERE TO WATCH THE INDIA vs ENGLAND SERIES?
The IND vs ENG series can be live streamed on Disney+Hotstar . It can also be watched on the Star Sports television network.
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