India clinched the series in Pune with a 15-run triumph against England in the 4th T20I on Friday, January 31. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube scored fifties, boosting India to 181 after a shaky beginning, while England lost grip on the match towards the death overs of their bowling and during their run-chase.
Harshit Rana made headlines by stepping in as a concussion substitute for the injured Shivam Dube and taking 3 wickets, shaking up the England batting order.
ENGLAND WON THE TOSS AND OPTED TO BOWL
On a rare occasion, England won the toss and opted to bowl first on a Pune pitch where dew was anticipated to influence the second innings.
India began well as Abhishek struck a boundary and a six off Jofra Archer. However, the Indian fans were not prepared for what occurred next. Sanju Samson’s difficulties with the short-ball persisted as he struck one directly to the fielder off Saqib Mahmood’s delivery.
Tilak Varma, the standout player in the second T20I, faltered by attempting a reckless shot and was caught in the deep third man area on the subsequent delivery.
ALSO READ: MEA raises issue of missing Indians with Iran
After losing 5 wickets, Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube stitched out a crucial partnership. Hardik began slowly, similar to his innings in Rajkot when India lost the match.
Upon scoring 12 runs from 16 balls, Hardik chose to accelerate his innings with Dube, and together they began to dominate the English bowlers. Hardik began to hit the pacers with considerable ease, reaching his fifty in only 27 balls.
When Hardik departed, India had reached 166, helping India recover. Dube would secure a fifty for himself upon his return, leading India to a total of 181.
HARSHIT RANA STARS IN BOWLING
The major highlight of the match emerged when the broadcasters revealed that Harshit, who caught Buttler’s dismissal, was the concussion replacement for Dube, who sustained a head injury in the last over. This infuriated the England camp as many claimed that Harshit wasn’t a suitable substitute for Dube.
He exacerbated England’s troubles by getting rid of Livingstone. Rana claimed his second wicket when Jacob Bethell tried for an ambitious shot and ended up getting caught by Suryakumar Yadav. Bishnoi was India’s top spinner that night and took his third wicket, dismissing Jofra Archer, as England began to encounter difficulties.
Overton and Rashid provided England with some optimism before Harshit took his 3rd wicket and got rid of Jamie Overton. Arshdeep would subsequently bow out Saqib to clinch the victory and the series for his team as England collapsed for 166.
