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Suryakumar Yadav-led India clinched the series against England with a 15-run win in the fourth T20I held in Pune on Friday, January 31. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube were the architects of India's competitive total of 181, recovering from a shaky start. England's bowling faltered in the latter stages, and their run chase also lost momentum.
Harshit Rana runs riot on England as India win T20I series
The spotlight, however, was stolen by Harshit Rana (3/33). Coming in as a concussion substitute for the injured Shivam Dube, Rana delivered a game-changing performance, taking three wickets and dismantling the England batting lineup.
England, having won the toss for a change, elected to bowl first, likely influenced by the anticipated dew factor in the second innings at the Pune pitch. India's innings began promisingly, with Abhishek Sharma (29) hitting a four and a six off Jofra Archer. However, the early momentum was disrupted. Sanju Samson's (1) vulnerability against short deliveries resurfaced as he was caught off Saqib Mahmood. Adding to India's woes, Tilak Varma (0), the hero of the second T20I, fell to a rash shot, getting caught in the deep third man region off the very next ball.
Suryakumar Yadav (0), having survived the hat-trick ball, couldn't capitalize on the reprieve, departing for a duck shortly after. By the end of the second over, India were in a precarious position at 12 for 3. India then opted to send in Rinku Singh, their recognized crisis manager in recent times. He and Abhishek steadied the innings with a 45-run partnership, but veteran spinner Adil Rashid once again troubled India. Despite Abhishek hitting him for a boundary, Rashid's persistence paid off, as the opener fell into his trap, reducing India to 57 for 4 in 7.2 overs.
Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube's brilliant fifties in India's win
This brought Shivam Dube (53) to the crease, playing his first T20I since July 2024. He made an immediate impact, launching Rashid for a massive six. Rinku Singh (30) and Dube began another rebuilding phase, taking India to 72 runs by the halfway mark when a break in play occurred. After discussions during the break, Rinku decided to adopt a more aggressive approach. However, this change in strategy proved detrimental, leading to his dismissal and leaving India in further trouble at 79 for 5.
With India in a difficult position, Hardik Pandya joined Dube at the crease, carrying the weight of expectations to propel India to a respectable total. Hardik began cautiously, similar to his innings in Rajkot, which ultimately resulted in a loss for India. However, after reaching 12 runs off 16 balls, Hardik shifted gears, and along with Dube, began to unleash an onslaught on the English bowlers. Hardik's hitting against the pacers became effortless, reaching his half-century in just 27 balls.
By the time Hardik was dismissed, India had recovered significantly, reaching 166. Dube also completed his own half-century on his return to the T20I format, contributing to India's final total of 181.
Ravi Bishnoi, Harshit Rana keep England batters in check
England's chase began spectacularly, with Ben Duckett and Phil Salt attacking the Indian bowlers from the outset. Arshdeep Singh, returning to the side, conceded two boundaries in his first over and three more in his second, all against Duckett.
Axar Patel's fifth over proved expensive, conceding 16 runs as England raced to 53 runs in their first five overs. The introduction of Ravi Bishnoi into the attack brought some control to the run flow, and he then delivered a crucial breakthrough, dismissing Duckett. This wicket triggered a collapse for England, as Salt fell to Axar and Buttler was dismissed by Bishnoi.
The major talking point of the match arose when it was announced that Harshit Rana, who had taken the catch to dismiss Buttler, was actually a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube, who had been hit on the head in the final over of India's innings. This substitution angered the England camp, with many arguing that Rana was not a like-for-like replacement for Dube.
Rana further compounded England's frustration by dismissing Liam Livingstone. Meanwhile, at the other end, Harry Brook began a strong innings, taking 18 runs off one of Harshit's overs. Varun Chakravarthy, who had been relatively quiet throughout the match, came alive in his final over, dismissing both Brook, who had just reached a well-deserved fifty, and Brydon Carse.
Rana then claimed his second wicket, as Jacob Bethell's attempt at a big shot resulted in a catch to Suryakumar Yadav. Bishnoi, India's most effective bowler of the night, picked up his third wicket, dismissing Jofra Archer and pushing England further into trouble. Overton and Rashid briefly gave England some hope, but Rana returned to dismiss Jamie Overton, sealing the win for India.
India will take on England yet again in the fifth T20I at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai on February 2.
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