England Defeat India to Stay Alive in T20 Series

Third T20, Rajkot

England 171-9 (20 overs): Duckett 51 (28), Chakravarthy 5-24.

India 145-9 (20 overs): Pandya 40 (35), Overton 3-24.

England wins by 26 runs; India leads the five-match series, 2-1.

England used a solid bowling performance to defeat India by 26 runs in Rajkot, keeping the T20 series alive.

After losing the first two matches of the five-match series, England needed to win the third T20 to escape defeat as soon as possible.

Ben Duckett blasted a 28-ball 51, and Liam Livingstone hammered five sixes in his 43 from 21 as England posted a disappointing 171-9 on a quality pitch.

However, a strong performance from their bowling lineup kept India behind the pace, as the host team fell well short of their objective, finishing 145-9.

Duckett helped the tourists get off to a good start, scoring 83-1 in the ninth.

However, the innings went to India's advantage when Buttler was caught behind on review for 24, and Duckett holed out to midwicket off Axar Patel's bowling in the next over.

Buttler was Varun Chakravarthy's first victim, with the leg-spinner bowling wonderfully to capture 5-24 as England lost 8-60.

India lost wickets regularly during their innings, with Jamie Overton taking 3-24, the best of five England bowlers who took wickets.

Hardik Pandya led India's second half of the innings, but his plodding 40 from 35 did not help the hosts win the match.

When Buttler caught him at long-on off Overton, the match was over, and England sealed the victory to keep their hopes of winning the series alive.

The fourth match of the series will take place in Pune on Friday (13:30 GMT).

England's Bowlers Dominate to Maintain Control

Playing on a pitch capable of producing a score of 200 or more, India's target of 172 appeared to be well within reach.

However, England's seamers made early inroads in the powerplay, as the hosts concluded their first six overs on 51-3.

Jofra Archer had Sanju Samson caught at mid-on by Adil Rashid before making a stunning tumbling catch to eliminate Abhishek Sharma from Brydon Carse's bowling.

Mark Wood was the third fast bowler to strike, with India captain Suryakumar Yadav skewing the ball into orbit before it landed in the hands of Phil Salt, who had taken over as wicketkeeper after Jamie Smith was hurt.

Tilak Varma scored an unbroken 72 in the previous encounter to lead India to victory. Still, Rashid bowled him for 18 on his way to a stunning 1-15 from four overs, while Overton had Washington Sundar caught by Buttler at mid-on for six, leaving the home side 85-5 in the 13th over.

Pandya batted alongside Axar Patel for 31 balls, putting up 48, but Archer dismissed the left-arm spinner, leaving India requiring 49 from 16 deliveries.

Pandya hit Archer for six two balls later, but he had left himself far too much to do.

Visiting Team Faces More Challenges Ahead

England will be encouraged by their victory, but Brendon McCullum's side continued to struggle against India's spinners.

They have already lost 18 wickets to turning deliveries in this series, a new record for England in T20s, surpassing the 14 they lost to New Zealand in 2019 and 2023.

Harry Brook has rarely encountered a speed bump in his international career, but he was dismissed cheaply by a spinner for the third time in a row, under-edging onto his stumps for eight runs off Ravi Bishnoi.

The Yorkshire batsman, averaging 12.66 in the series, was one of six England batters in the top nine to be bowled for single figures.

Jamie Smith, who impressed on debut in Chennai, became the first of four consecutive Chakravarthy wickets, caught by Dhruv Jurel at midwicket.

The following delivery bowled Overton around his legs before Carse found Varma at square leg, and a hard-spinning ball destroyed Archer's stumps.

Two wickets from seamer Pandya bookended the seven losses to spin, with the right-arm claiming the opener when Phil Salt drove straight to Abhishek Sharma.

The England opener's score of five was his highest of the series, and he has yet to make it past the second over of an innings.

Pandya removed Livingstone, but not before the all-rounder got dug in with his usual zeal, including three sixes from one Bishnoi over, scoring the runs that finally propelled England to win. At the same time, Rashid and Wood also had a crucial stand of 24.

We're Lucky to Have Rashid' – Reaction

England captain Jos Buttler: "You might look at how we lost wickets in clumps, but we had 170 on the board, which is a fantastic score.

"I like how we kept taking the game on. If you can be disappointed with your performance and still score 170, that is an excellent effort."

Regarding spinner Adil Rashid: "He is the most important player in our team." He bowled fantastically tonight, with numerous variations and types of bowling. "We are extremely fortunate to have him on our team."

India captain Suryakumar Yadav: "With Hardik and Axar in the lineup, we still had the game in hand. Credit goes to Adil [Rashid], who bowled exceptionally well. We intended to rotate the strike. That explains why he is a world-class bowler.

"You always learn something from a Twenty20 game. We gave them too much in the end."