England finally managed to put a leash on Team India and registered an emphatic 26-run win in the third T20I at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on January 28. Indian batters failed to to chase down a 172-run target and were summed up for just 145.
Kevin Pietersen slams India's batting order
Meanwhile, former England's superstar batter Kevin Pietersen has slammed India's batting order following Rajkot defeat. He questioned the rationale behind batting a skilled player like Dhruv Jurel so low in the order, particularly when the Indian batting lineup struggled against a strong English bowling attack.
Pietersen drew a parallel to his recent observations in South Africa, where he noted a similar issue with the Durban Super Giants. In that instance, talented players like Quinton de Kock and Heinrich Klaasen were consistently pushed down the batting order, which ultimately contributed to the team's poor performance. Pietersen suggested that these strategic decisions regarding batting order can impact a team's success.
"I didn't like the batting order either. I'm someone who believes your best batters should bat at the top of the order. I was in South Africa last week, and the Durban Super Giants were having an absolute shocker of a tournament. But Quinton de Kock was batting at 3 or 4, and Heinrich Klaasen was batting at 6 or 7. I approached these guys and asked, 'Why are you doing this?' You've seen the same thing happen here this evening," Pietersen said while speaking on Star Sports.
"A guy like Dhruv Jurel, who is a very good and accomplished batter, is being dropped down the order because of the left-hander, right-hander strategy. Hardik is struggling a little, and there wasn't that much pressure on these batters to come out and score at 10 runs per over," former India captain added.
India's chase of 172 suffered a setback when Tilak Varma was dismissed on the last ball of the eighth over. Surprisingly, the team management opted to send Washington Sundar to the crease instead of Dhruv Jurel, who was waiting in the dugout. This decision proved to be a costly one, as Sundar struggled to score runs, managing only 6 runs off 15 balls.
Sundar faced difficulties against Adil Rashid's spin, finding it challenging to negotiate the variations in pace and bounce. The situation worsened when, after Sundar's dismissal, Axar Patel was sent in instead of Jurel. Patel also struggled to score quickly, making a laborious 16 runs off 15 balls before being dismissed by Jofra Archer. The tactical decisions ultimately hindered India's progress in the chase.
Hardik Pandya's slow batting also impacted India's run rate, allowing England to gain a strong foothold in the match. Jurel, who had been waiting in the dugout, finally came to the crease with only 16 balls remaining. To worsen the situation, Hardik refused to take a single on the last ball of the 18th over, only to be dismissed in the following over. Jurel followed suit, scoring just 2 runs off 4 balls. With Jurel's wicket India's hopes of going past the finishing line were dashed as England bowlers took no time to wipe out the hosts' tail and ended up winning the game to leave the five-match series 1-2. India and England will yet again lock horns with each other in the fourth T20I which is slated to be played on January 31.