Rohit Sharma scored his 3rd T20I century as India galloped to 201-3 in just 18.4 overs, eclipsing England’s 198-9 in 20 overs to secure a win in the series decider. India had won the first game convincingly before England hit back in the second match to set up an interesting series decider. England started off convincingly, with the explosive opening pair of Jason Roy (67) and Jos Buttler (34) tearing apart the Indian bowlers after Virat Kohli had won the toss and put England in. However, some brilliance behind the stumps by MS Dhoni, featuring in his 500th international match, and a spectacular bowling effort by Hardik Pandya allowed England to score only around 100 runs in the final 12 overs after scoring 90+ in the first 8. Pandya finished with 4-38 from his 4 overs, with support from Siddarth Kaul who took 2-35 in his quota. Yuzvendra Chahal pulled the run-rate down, conceding just 30 runs from his 4 overs, while Umesh Yadav and debutant Deepak Chahar went for some runs initially, but managed to take a couple of crucial wickets. England was almost never in the game in the second half and their bowlers were clueless against the carnage. Though Shikhar Dhawan (5) was dismissed early, Sharma (100*) came out all guns blazing and set up excellent partnerships first with KL Rahul (19) and then with skipper, Kohli (43), before Pandya was sent in early to finish the job, which he did with a quick-fire, unbeaten 33, while Sharma completed his century, matching Kiwi, Colin Munro’s record. India had beaten England by 7 wickets and secured a 6th consecutive T20I series victory. Following are the good bits we can ponder over from an exciting series:
1. Depth and Talent in the Indian bowling lineup: Jasprit Bumrah’s finger injury may have sent a few waves of panic into the Indian dressing room, but the team has coped wonderfully with it. While in the first game, his absence was hardly felt due to Kuldeep Yadav’s fifer and Umesh Yadav’s miserly spell, one would have wished India had Bumrah’s services in the second game, which was a low-scoring, down-to-the-wire affair. In the third match, however, Kaul and Pandya were brilliant in the final overs, and though Umesh did go for runs, these two bowled wonderfully to keep England’s score down and make it an easier chase for the batsmen that what it seemed to be heading towards. Deepak Chahar, too, has shown glimpses of quality in the IPL and that was on show in the 3rd T20I, though he did go for runs. However, there is no doubt about his ability to swing the ball both ways, which can be vital in English conditions. All these are clear indicators of the fact that India has amazing talent in the sidelines and these players will be looking to grab the opportunities when they come.
2. Finding a spot for Raina: Suresh Raina is arguably among the best players to have graced the T20 format in the 21st century. India’s first ever player to have scored a century in all three formats is now struggling to find a place in the Indian batting line-up, though his struggled to be selected have finally come to an end. In three games, Raina got a chance to bat only once – in the 2nd T20I where he scored 27 off 20 balls and put on a 57-run consolidating stand with Kohli. Raina has been Chennai Super Kings’ talismanic one-drop batsman in the IPL (Indian Premier League), but in the national team, Kohli first took that place and now KL Rahul has captured that spot. The ploy to play the third opener of the team, in Rahul, too, in the line-up means the whole batting order gets shuffled and every batsman is now playing a slot lower, though it does provide quite some depth. Rahul’s brilliant century in the first game and the team’s ploy of sending Pandya up the order in the third game meant Raina lost two out of his three opportunities to make a mark through no mistake of his own. In the second game, he did manage a decent total and partially bailed India out of deep trouble, but a half century would’ve helped his cause way more than the 27 runs he scored. It remains to be seen how India will use him in the future, because at 31, Raina is not growing any younger.
3. Morale boost before the ODIs and Tests: India have not had too much success to boast about from their tours to England, but this team could very well give the English a run for their money. With a team that has come into its own in the last 2-3 years and has in possession an able combination of experience and raw talent, the team and fans will believe India has a fighting chance to topple England. However, the hosts themselves aren’t too bad off, with some stunning cricket leading to a devastating humiliation of Australia in the recently concluded ODI series. The fact that India have gotten opportunities to both acclimatize and test the depth of their squad in the 3-match T20I series will definitely help the team keep itself motivated. Whatever the case, it is fair to say we are in for some exciting games in the coming weeks.
