Liam Livingstone's fast-paced 43 off 24 and Ben Duckett's 28-ball 51 sandwiched a Deja Vu moment when England was chosen to bat first once more. Once again, their arch-enemy Varun Chakravarthy was at it, eat up the middle-order's momentum. The concern remained, though, whether England's competitive 171/9 in the third Twenty20 International in Rajkot would be sufficient against India's aggressive and potent batting lineup.
The genius of Adil Rashid in the middle overs made it more than sufficient. In addition to derailing India's middle order, his spell effectively shattered their pursuit.
As England put pressure on India, Varun's five-wicket haul was in vain for the second time in his career. Tilak Varma was not there to help them get out of trouble this time. Rashid ensured that by getting rid of the left-hander early, stopping him from using the poise he had displayed in Chennai to guide the middle overs.
Jofra Archer struck early, removing Sanju Samson with another short delivery as the visitors, as anticipated, packed their bowling assault with a potent pace battery. Brydon Carse stopped Abhishek Sharma's daring knock, and Mark Wood made sure Suryakumar Yadav's signature scoop-flick would not travel as far as the Indian captain had hoped. However, India got off to a fast start, reaching 50 within the powerplay, and maintaining their momentum with a six from Tilak off Livingstone in the seventh over. Early indications pointed to a seamless pursuit, fueled by timely boundaries, strike rotation, and a deliberate attempt to go deep, as they did in the second Twenty20 International. It was not at all.
India was further rattled by the seasoned leg spinner's constant pressure and lack of loose deliveries. Rashid did not score a single boundary, and even rotating the strike was challenging since the 36-year-old was so shrewd and took advantage of the circumstances. Jamie Overton was also performing well at the other end, bowling his cutters and employing variations to hold India in check.
As the strain increased, Washington Sundar was dismissed after spooning a straightforward catch to a slower ball from Overton to finish his battle (6 off 15). Hardik Pandya too struggled to get going, giving up just 13 singles and a pair before Rashid finished his spell, managing just 14 off 21. India had less space to maneuver as Rashid's economy and deft control effectively stifled their scoring.
Rashid played a similar role in Chennai as well, as his 1-14 numbers almost cost India the match before Tilak's valiant efforts changed the tide. But this time he had plenty of help. His spell began with a required rate of 8.46, which skyrocketed to 13.66 by the end, highlighting the tremendous pressure he put on the Indian batsmen, who were unable to come up with answers. With remarkable numbers of 3 for 24 from his four overs, Overton proved to be the ideal ally. India's hopes were essentially dashed when Rashid and Overton bowled seven of the nine middle overs together, giving up just 30 runs.
"He is been outstanding. He is the most crucial player for us, as I constantly say, and he simply keeps getting better. One of his many incredible talents is his ability to bowl in a multitude of styles. Butler lavished praise on Rashid, saying, "He is been terrific the previous couple of games, and he seems to figure out exactly how he needs to bowl in the first few of balls he bowls on that wicket. Yeah, he is an incredible trump card to have as a captain."
"I believe we practiced in the square yesterday. The wickets were lovely and developing very nicely, and there was probably less grass there. However, I believe you could tell right away that things were likely not going to go as planned as the first ball of the game failed to reach the 'keeper. Regarding the conditions, the England captain stated, "It is probably a decent toss to lose to have the runs on the board and then have the dew not coming in as much as we imagined."
We practiced in the square yesterday, I believe, and the wickets were lovely and developing fairly nicely. There was probably less grass on that one. However, you could probably tell things was not going to go as planned once the first ball of the game did not make it to the 'keeper. With the runs on the board and the dew not coming in as much as we anticipated, it is certainly a good toss to lose," the England skipper stated.
"There was some hold when we were batting, and the wicket perhaps played a little differently than everyone had anticipated, but I believe Dilly [Rashid] can spin it on most surfaces with the revs he applies. He bowled well, then.
The match turned out to be decided by the middleovers. Despite losing five wickets during this time, England managed to score71 runs. In contrast, India scored just 49 runs in the 7–15 overs while losingjust two wickets. Due in large part to Rashid, the difference maker, it wasdifficult to close the 22-run gap in the last overs.
YOU ARE READING
Lee lights up WBBL again with second consecutive century
Cerita PendekLizelle Lee became the first player to score hundreds in back-to-back WBBL games after supporting a record century with another century. A struggling Adelaide Strikers team was defeated by 28 runs thanks to the Hobart Hurricanes opener, who scored 1...
