RAJKOT: Ben Duckett’s blistering half-century, followed by Jamie Overton’s 3/24, lifted England to a 26-run victory over India in the third T20I of the five-match series here at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday.
Put into bat first, England registered a formidable total of 171/9 despite Varun Chakravarthy’s five-wicket haul.
The touring side, however, got off to a dismal start to their innings as Hardik Pandya dismissed Phil Salt (five) in the second over with just seven runs on the board.
Following the early hiccup, Jos Buttler joined hands with Duckett in the middle and launched an astounding recovery as the duo put together a quickfire 76-run partnership for the second wicket in just 45 deliveries.
Chakravarthy broke the threatening partnership in the eighth over by getting rid of the England captain, while Axar Patel sent Duckett back just six balls later.
Ben Duckett remained the top-scorer for England with a 28-ball 51, studded with seven fours and two sixes, while Buttler made 24 off 22 deliveries.
Coming out to bat at number four, Liam Livingstone played a sensible knock, holding one end firmly, while wickets continued to tumble at the other.
The right-handed batter eventually walked back after falling victim to Pandya in the 18th over, scoring 43 off 24 deliveries with the help of one four and five sixes.
England’s tailenders Adil Rashid and Mark Wood, 10 each, added valuable runs at the backend to give the visitors a decent total to defend.
Chakravarthy was the standout bowler for India, taking five wickets for 24 runs in his four overs, while Pandya picked up two.
Chakravarthy, despite ending up on the losing side, was adjudged the player of the match for his exceptional bowling performance.
Set to chase a tricky 172, the home side could only accumulate 145/9 in their 20 overs despite Pandya’s grit.
The all-rounder waged a lone battle for India with a fighting 40 off 35 deliveries but remained devoided support from the other end until his departure on the first delivery of the penultimate over.
Opening batter Abhishek Sharma (24) and Tilak Varma (18) were the other notable run-getters for India.
Overton led the bowling charge for England with three wickets, followed by Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer with two each, while Wood and Rashid shared two between them.
The 26-run victory helped England to reduce India’s lead to 2-1 in the five-match series, with the fourth match scheduled to be played in Pune on Friday.
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