England Triumph Despite Chakaravarthy’s Five-for as indian Batters Falter
Kolkata: There was no fiery opening or thrilling conclusion. England's collapse—engineered by varun Chakaravarthy's clever use of lengths and variations—was predictable as they crumbled from 87/3 in 10 overs to 127/8. However, Liam Livingstone stood firm, treating singles like a Test match, adding 45 runs with the last two batters. His determination proved decisive as england defeated india by 26 runs in the third T20I in rajkot on Tuesday.
india have chased down steeper targets before. The rajkot pitch was solid, dew was minimal, and the outfield offered good pace, making this a missed opportunity despite another stellar performance by their bowlers. Chakaravarthy's five-wicket haul wasn’t his first, but it was a testament to India's broader strategy of dismantling england with spin. The english batting lineup has struggled against spin this series, conceding 67 runs in 12 overs at Eden, 118 in 14 overs at Chennai, and now 108 in 13 overs here—startling statistics for a team striving to redefine their white-ball cricket under Brendon McCullum.
Despite Ben Duckett’s explosive start—taking hardik pandya for three consecutive boundaries and smashing washington sundar for 4, 4, and 6—the momentum shifted once Chakaravarthy entered the attack. Duckett attempted to disrupt him with a mis-hit boundary over long-off, but Chakaravarthy struck back by dismissing Jos Buttler with a seam-up delivery that caught the edge of his reverse sweep. Soon after, Axar patel trapped Duckett into mistiming a flatter ball to long-on.
England’s other batters also faltered under India’s seven-bowler rotation, which featured five spinners. ravi Bishnoi bowled Harry Brook, who edged an attempted sweep onto the stumps. Jamie Smith’s attempted slog found dhruv Jurel at deep midwicket, while Jamie Overton was bowled, and Brydon Carse’s shot failed to clear deep square-leg. Even abhishek Sharma chipped in as india limited their pace options to just seven overs, including a solid but quiet return by Mohammad shami after the 2023 ODI world cup final.
England’s spinners, however, fought back effectively, with Adil Rashid leading the way. Conceding just 15 runs in his four overs, he bowled Tilak varma with a sharp-turning delivery that uprooted the middle stump. Alongside Rashid, Jamie Overton’s tight line left india struggling to recover in the latter stages. Sanju Samson’s poor form continued, his attempted heave falling to Rashid at mid-on. Openers abhishek Sharma and suryakumar yadav had promising starts but perished to Carse and Mark Wood, respectively.
India’s innings lacked partnerships, with their first stand exceeding 30 runs only when patel and Pandya came together. But by then, the required run rate was overwhelming. With 50 needed off 18 balls, Patel’s edge off Jofra Archer ended his innings. Pandya, India’s most settled batter, cleared long-off for six but holed out to Buttler while attempting another big hit. shami entertained briefly with a six, but the equation—32 from six balls—was too steep. Jurel’s tame scoop off Carse’s first ball summed up the game, sealing England’s victory and keeping the series alive.
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