After back-to-back defeats in the first two matches, England staged a tremendous comeback in the third T20I to rock India by 26 runs at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot on January 29, Tuesday.
After losing the toss and electing to bat first, England posted a challenging total of 171/9. Ben Duckett anchored the innings with a half-century, while Liam Livingstone chipped in with a blistering 24-ball 43.
England bowlers did the rest as they displayed a strong performance picking wickets at regular intervals which didn't allow Indian batters to play freely and eventually restricted them for 145/9 in their stipulated 20 overs, notching a 26-run win in Rajkot.
Meanwhile, England captain Jos Buttler showered immense praise on his bowlers for their exceptional performance in the match. He singled out leg-spinner Adil Rashid, lauding his impressive spell of 1/15, which played a crucial role in restricting India's scoring rate.
Buttler also expressed his admiration for Jofra Archer's remarkable comeback performance. After a disappointing outing in the previous match, Archer bounced back with a strong showing.
We are fortunate to have Adil Rashid in the team: Jos Buttler
Buttler also went on to reveal the 'most important player in England team' i.e Adil Rashid and said that the side is fortunate to have a player like him.
"The guys bowled really well, was nice to show-off their skills. Not about how fast they can bowl, but how well they can adapt to the wicket. He's the most important player in our team, we are fortunate to have Rashid in the team. He has all variations. Jofra is consistent, he won't go for sixes often, but he will come back for sure if he does," Buttler said in the post-match presentation.
"I think the wicket looked different, Duckett played well. We lost wickets in clumps, we were disappointed. It was crucial to pick up wickets in the powerplay. I loved the way we kept pushing and kept taking the game on. Credit to Rashid and Wood, they had a crucial partnership in the end. That was the difference in the end," Buttler added.
England lost the first match by seven wickets in Kolkata despite Buttler's fiery 44-ball 68. In a double whammy, they went down to India yet again in Chennai, losing the match narrowly two wickets. However, they came out all guns blazing in the third tie and gave it back to India to avoid series defeat in the five-match outing. They will look to carry their winning momentum in the fourth T20I against India which is slated to be played on January 31.