IND vs ENG 3rd T20I: Varun Chakravarthy’s fifer in vain as England beat India by 26 runs to keep series alive

England kept their hopes alive in the five-match T20I series with a convincing 26-run victory in the third T20I, as the Indian batters struggled to chase down a target of 172 runs at Rajkot's Niranjan Shah Stadium on Tuesday.

Varun Chakravarthy was the star of the show, claiming a remarkable five-wicket haul to restrict England to 171 for 9 in the third T20I in Rajkot. Chakravarthy continued his impressive form with the ball, dismissing key batsmen such as Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer to achieve his second five-wicket haul in T20 cricket.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss for the third consecutive time and elected to field first. England made a solid start, reaching 52 for 1 before Hardik Pandya removed Phil Salt early in the innings.

Captain Jos Buttler then partnered with Ben Duckett, who showcased his aggressive strokeplay against the Indian spinners. Duckett reached his second T20I fifty with innovative shots, including scoops and reverse hits, to keep the scoreboard ticking.

Despite Duckett's attacking innings of 51 off 28 balls, England lost momentum after his dismissal, followed by Buttler's departure. Chakravarthy's exceptional bowling performance on a flat track caused England to collapse from 83 for 1 to 127 for 8, before Liam Livingstone's quickfire 43 off 24 deliveries provided a late surge to their innings.

In the end, Livingstone's six-hitting spree helped England finish their innings on a positive note, setting up a challenging target for India to chase in the third T20I.

Mohammed Shami's inclusion was officially confirmed as he marked his run-up before the toss, marking his return to international cricket since the ODI World Cup final in November 2023. On a flat pitch, Shami took the place of Arshdeep Singh as the only specialist fast bowler in the XI and opened the bowling.

Shami's initial spell saw him concede 15 runs in two overs, during which he troubled the batsmen with a couple of near misses. He later returned to bowl in the 19th over, giving away 11 runs to complete a smooth and incident-free performance. With speeds reaching close to 140 km/h and consistently shaping the ball away from the batsmen, Shami put to rest any doubts about his fitness.

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