Bristol: Team India clinched the three-match T20I series against England after a convincing 7-wicket victory in the series decider at the Bristol City County Ground on Sunday. After winning the toss and electing to bowl, Virat Kohli and co were set a total of 199 to chase and they responded in style.
David Willey stunned the Indian camp with an early with of Shikhar Dhawan but Rohit Sharma kept firing at the top to keep the required run rate in control. Chris Jordan then took another spectacular catch to dismiss the in-form KL Rahul.
However, Rohit stitched a game-changing 91-run partnership with Virat Kohli to put the visitors in control. Jordan got rid of the Team India skipper but by then, the Men in Blue already had the upper hand.
Later on, Rohit slammed his 3rd T20I ton complimented by Hardik Pandya’s quickfire cameo to seal the series comfortably.
India 201-3 after 18.3 overs:
SIX! Hardik Pandya finishes in Dhoni-esque fashion as India wrap up the series.
HUNDRED! 3rd T20I ton for Rohit Sharma! The Mumbai batsman has been at the forefront of India's attack and what a time to bring up his knock.
India 151-3 after 15 overs:
CAUGHT AND BOWLED! A little to late? They'll take it. Jordan bowls it straight towards the Team India skipper who dispatches it back at him.
150! What a partnership this is turning out to be between Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. The hosts are finding no answers whatsoever.
India 100-2 after 10 overs:
HUNDRED UP! The Men in Blue reach the century mark but the job is only half done.
Love watching @ImRo45 Bat .... He must open in any white ball team he plays in .... #ENGvIND #itscomimghome ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ¥ó ®ó §ó ¿
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) July 8, 2018
India 91-2 after 9 overs:
FIFTY! Rohit Sharma reaches his 16th T20I half-century. A stay till the end could hold the key to India's fortunes.
FIFTY!
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 8, 2018
Here comes the half-century for @ImRo45 in 28 deliveries. This is his 16th in T20I cricket.
Follow the game here - https://t.co/rdWpZJ9LGQ #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/sJBhO1G7zT
India 70-2 after 6 overs:
WHAT A CATCH! KL Rahul hits it clean but gets the height and not the elevation. Jordan from mid-on backtracks and latches his eyes onto the ball to dismiss the inform batsman.
India 56-1 after 5 overs:
FIFTY! Rohit Sharma has been leading the charge so far as the visitors respond in style. The Men in Blue need to keep the momentum flowing.
India 27-1 after 3 overs:
CAUGHT! England have the early advantage. Willey drifts it outside leg and Dhawan falls for the trap, flicking one to the man at leg gully.
1st innings:
England set a massive target for Team India to chase by finishing off at 198-9 after being put into bat first. Openers Jason Roy and Jos Buttler delivered a blazing start, with the pitch proving little assistance for the opposition bowlers.
However, Siddarth Kaul delivered the first breakthrough with the wicket of Buttler and soon after Deepak Chahar claimed his maiden T20I wicket in the form of Roy.
Hardik Pandya brought the visitors back in the game with wickets of Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales in quick succession. England found it hard to continue the same momentum at the start and Pandya was once again at the forefront.
The Baroda all-rounder sent Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow back to the pavilion to keep the ball rolling. The pacers troubled the tail-enders as wickets kept tumbling for England, who failed to reach the 200 mark.
Innings Break!
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 8, 2018
England 198/9 in 20 overs. #TeamIndia need 199 runs to win the game and the series.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/oX4osiYsHA
England 198-9 after 20 overs:
RUN OUT! Chris Jordan fails to get a bye off the final delivery as MS Dhoni hits the bullseye.
Good comeback in the last 5 overs. Over to the batters... #EngvInd
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 8, 2018
CAUGHT! Plunkett edges onto Dhoni who becomes the first keeper to claim five catches in a T20I match.
STAT ALERT: @msdhoni becomes the first player to take five catches in a T20I.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/FkQjQBcM77
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 8, 2018
England 191-7 after 19 overs:
BOWLED! Yadav bowls it full and Willey drags it back onto his stumps.
England 181-6 after 18 overs:
CAUGHT! Hardik finishes his spell with figures of 4-0-38-4. Full delivery outside off, Bairstow attempts to squeeze it towards the point region. Gets an edge that is collected by Dhoni.
WICKET! Pressure piling on England who are not making the best after a fine start. Back of a length outside off, Stokes tries to smack it over long off but finds Kohli in the deep.
England 140-4 after 12 overs:
CAUGHT! Soft dismissal. Slower one by Hardik Pandya and Hales tries to run it down third man. The low bounce gets the better of him and Dhoni does the rest behind the wickets.
WICKET! The England skipper departs. Looks to smack Pandya for a biggie but gets a top edge that goes high up. Dhoni keeps his eyes on the ball and takes it safely despite making contact with the stumps at the striker's end.
The Indian T20 over rate this series has been appalling ..... Get on with it .... #ENGvIND
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) July 8, 2018
England 104-2 after 9.4 overs:
CAUGHT! Maiden T20I wicket for Deepak Chahar. Slower ball dropped short, angling into Roy who cuts it straight to Dhoni behind the wickets. End of a fine innings.
England 94-1 after 9 overs:
WICKET! Full length delivery by Kaul and Buttler cannot find a way out of his attempted slog. The bowler is charged up!
England 82-0 after 8 overs:
DROPPED! Chahal comes close to giving India the breakthrough after a mistimed slog-sweep from Buttler. Kaul rushes from the deep to collect the ball but it pops out.
Playing two spinners allow you to bowl an over or two of spin in the PowerPlay overs....England going abso crazy vs Pace. #ENGvIND
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) July 8, 2018
England 51-0 after 5 overs:
FIFTY UP! Just the start the hosts needed. Boundaries are coming thick and fast!
Gut feeling says this is a 225 run track... #ENGvIND
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) July 8, 2018
England 23-0 after 2 overs:
Agressive start by Buttler who is already going after the pacers. Smacks Yadav for two boundaries in the over.
England 13-0 after 1 over:
Expensive over to begin with as Deepak Chahar is smashed for three boundaries by Jos Buttler.
Preview:
Team India will aim to seal the three-match T20 series when they face England at the Bristol County Ground on Sunday. Virat Kohli’s team kick-started the tour with an emphatic 8-wicket victory against the hosts thanks to a bowling masterclass from Kuldeep Yadav and KL Rahul’s magnificent ton.
However, Alex Hales led from the front in the second contest to help England keep the series alive. The key point was that unlike the opener, the batsmen countered the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal with a conservative approach.
The series is now locked at 1-1 and a win here for any of the sides could be a huge confidence booster with the three-match ODI series lining up next.
It's time for the series decider here at Bristol.
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 8, 2018
Are you ready? #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/lpJhDKXPIN
We have a debutant here in the third T20I against England. Deepak Chahar receives his #TeamIndia cap from Skipper @imVkohli.#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/vRB1VNRRr0
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 8, 2018
Toss:
The news from the center is that India have won the toss and will have a chase. Siddarth Kaul replaces Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has a stiff back. Deepak Chahar makes way for Kuldeep Yadav for tactical reasons.
Interesting how different the conditions are here in Bristol. Seems to b a conscious effort to negate the Indian spinners #FairCall #INDvsENG
— Deep Dasgupta (@DeepDasgupta7) July 8, 2018
Meanwhile, Ben Stokes comes in for Joe Root.
Here's the Playing XI for #TeamIndia. Kaul and Chahar come in in place of Kuldeep and Kumar pic.twitter.com/aBAJ3yucyF
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 8, 2018
ENG XI: J Roy, J Buttler, A Hales, E Morgan, J Bairstow, B Stokes, D Willey, C Jordan, L Plunkett, A Rashid, J Ball
— BCCI (@BCCI) July 8, 2018
Squads:
India: Virat Kohli(C), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Siddarth Kaul, and Umesh Yadav.
England: Eoin Morgan(C), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, David Willey, and Dawid Malan.
Live telecast:
The match is scheduled to start at 6:30 PM (IST) and will be broadcast on SonySIX and SonySIX HD.
Live streaming:
Action can only be streamed on SonyLiv.com or the SonyLiv app.
