England Defeats India by 26 Runs in Third T20, Keeps Series Alive

Rajkot, January 28 England staged a strong comeback in the third T20 match at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, defeating India by 26 runs. Despite the loss, India still leads the five-match series 2-1.

Batting first, England posted 171/9 in 20 overs, while India, in response, fell short at 145/9, failing to chase the target.

England’s Batting: Duckett and Livingstone Power the Innings

Losing the toss and batting first, England got off to a steady start. Ben Duckett played a blistering knock, scoring 51 off 28 balls, smashing 7 fours and 2 sixes. Liam Livingstone also played a fiery innings, scoring 43 off 24 balls, while skipper Jos Buttler chipped in with 24 runs. However, other batters struggled to make an impact, as England finished at 171/9 in 20 overs.

Best Bowling Performance from Varun Chakravarthy

India’s Varun Chakravarthy delivered a career-best spell, claiming 5 wickets for just 24 runs in 4 overs. Hardik Pandya also made an impact with 2 wickets for 33 runs, while Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi picked up a wicket each. Mohammed Shami, returning to the squad after a long break, went wicketless.

India’s Chase: A Struggle Against England’s Disciplined Bowling

Chasing 172, India got off to a poor start as Sanju Samson fell for just 3 runs. Abhishek Sharma provided some momentum with a quickfire 24 off 12 balls, hitting 5 boundaries. However, the middle order crumbled under pressure, with Tilak Varma (18) and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (14) failing to anchor the innings.

Hardik Pandya fought hard with a 40-run knock, hitting 2 sixes and 1 four, while Axar Patel added 15 runs. But with the rest of the batting lineup failing to capitalize, India ended at 145/9, falling 26 runs short.

England’s Bowling: Archer and Rashid Deliver Match-Winning Spells

England’s bowling attack was disciplined and effective, keeping the Indian batsmen under constant pressure.

• Jofra Archer: 3 overs, 20 runs, 2 wickets
• Adil Rashid: 4 overs, 30 runs, 2 wickets
• Chris Woakes and Sam Curran: 1 wicket each

Series Standings and Next Match

With this crucial victory, England has made a comeback in the five-match series, which now stands at 2-1 in India’s favor. The next match will be a must-win for England to keep the series alive, while India will look to seal the series.

England Defeats India by 26 Runs in Third T20, Keeps Series Alive