Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube both scored half-centuries, while an impressive all-round bowling display from Ravi Bishnoi and concussion substitute Harshit Rana enabled India to secure victory over England in the fourth T20I held in Pune, thereby winning the series. At one point, England appeared poised to achieve their second consecutive win and equalize the series, particularly when Harry Brook was performing exceptionally well. However, the dismissal of Brook shifted the momentum, allowing India to mount a comeback and successfully complete the match.
Shivam Dube scores a half century before getting concussed
After being sent in to bat, Abhishek Sharma faced Jofra Archer in the opening over, hitting a six and a four. However, a disastrous turn of events awaited them in the second over. Saqib Mahmood, making his debut in the series, delivered a remarkable over, bowling a maiden and claiming three wickets, which left the home crowd in shock. Sanju Samson fell victim to another short ball, pulling it directly to deep square leg, while Tilak Varma was dismissed on his first ball, failing to effectively counter the pacer. To compound India’s difficulties, their captain Suryakumar Yadav was unfortunate to hit a straightforward catch to short mid-on in the same over, leaving India at a precarious 12/3.
Despite the early setbacks, Abhishek and the returning Rinku Singh adopted an aggressive strategy to shift the momentum, and they succeeded to some degree as boundaries began to flow. However, against the run of play, Abhishek slog-swept a delivery straight to deep mid-wicket. Although Dube started strongly, England tightened their grip on the match with a series of disciplined overs. With Brydon Carse dismissing Rinku, India found themselves in a precarious position at 87/5 with only eight overs remaining. Nevertheless, a remarkable partnership between Dube and Hardik enabled them to surpass the 180-run mark, catching England off guard.
Dube targeted Adil Rashid effectively, while Hardik’s performance fluctuated despite a promising start. At one point, Hardik struggled with a score of 14 off 17 balls, but a couple of sixes off Mahmood revitalized his innings. He then launched an aggressive assault, hitting sixes off Archer and Jamie Overton, ultimately reaching a fifty off just 27 balls. Although he was dismissed with a couple of overs remaining, Dube concluded the penultimate over with consecutive boundaries to secure his own fifty. An impressive final over from Overton, which yielded only three runs, did not diminish India’s satisfaction with their remarkable recovery.
Harshit Rana and Ravi Bishnoi grab 3 wickets each as England's batting order collapse
To secure a victory in the series, England needed to achieve their highest total of the tour thus far. Phil Salt managed to endure Arshdeep Singh’s opening over while also accumulating a few boundaries. However, it was Ben Duckett who truly threatened India with a rapid start. After striking Arshdeep for three consecutive boundaries, Duckett displayed his fearlessness against the spinners, helping England to reach 62 runs during the powerplay. Unfortunately, the left-handed batsman misplayed a shot off the final delivery of the powerplay against Bishnoi, departing for 39 runs.
The loss of one wicket quickly led to two more, as the spinners once again brought India back into contention. Salt fell victim to an arm-ball from Axar Patel, while the in-form Jos Buttler misjudged a delivery from Bishnoi, resulting in a catch at short third. Liam Livingstone and Brook managed to halt the wicket flow for a while until Rana entered the attack for the first time, replacing the injured Dube, and claimed the crucial wicket of Livingstone. Rana’s participation as a direct substitute for Dube created a stir, and to England’s dismay, the pacer significantly influenced the match’s outcome.
Nevertheless, the visitors had a chance to secure the win as Brook asserted his dominance by scoring 18 runs off Rana in a single over. He eventually reached a fifty off just 25 balls, with England requiring 53 runs from 34 deliveries to clinch victory. However, wickets began to tumble in quick succession, jeopardizing their chances, particularly as Varun Chakaravarthy’s final over shifted the momentum. Instead of navigating his nemesis in the series, Brook fell while attempting to attack the spinner, and Carse followed suit just two deliveries later.
When Rana dismissed Jacob Bethell with a slower ball, it became evident that England’s prospects were dimming. Overton provided a glimmer of hope with a couple of powerful shots, and Rashid contributed a six on his behalf, bringing the match to a thrilling conclusion. However, England’s failure to score significantly in the penultimate over ultimately hindered their chase, allowing India to seize control and secure the victory.
SCORECARD: India181/9 in 20 overs (Hardik Pandya 53, Shivam Dube 53; Saqib Mahmood 3/35) beat England 166 in 19.4 overs (Harry Brook 51; Ravi Bishnoi 3/28, Harshit Rana 3/33) by 15 runs
