India was completely outplayed by a strong England side in the third T20I at Ahmedabad. Eoin Morgan’s side started the match with a bang as they rocked India early in the powerplay. Team India lost both their openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma early and captain Virat Kohli had to rebuild the innings. The Indian captain was sublime today as he played a masterful knock of 77* in 46 and took India to a fighting total of 156.
Unfortunately England courtesy of Jos Buttler came out all guns blazing and completely took away the match. The destructive England openers showed his class and anchored the England run chase. He scored a match-winning knock of 83 from 52 and helped his side get a 2-1 lead in the series.
England defeat India by 8 wickets
Here’s what the losing Indian captain Virat Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
“You don’t want to play knocks which don’t help the team in any way. It was a bit difficult to bat against the new ball. Their bowlers were hitting good areas. We got one little partnership, it was important for me to bat deep. The case was to get set and try to get a decent total. I was going through a lean patch two days back. He (KL Rahul) has been a champion player. He will continue to be one of our main players along with Rohit at the top of the order. It’s a matter of five-six balls in this format. If you lose the toss, embrace what’s been asked of you. England bowlers were brilliant with the new ball, which made our lives difficult. We tried to come back, I don’t think our body language in the second innings. You need to figure out which other all-rounder can be featured. With the ball, Hardik is coming along nicely”.
After winning the match comprehensively here’s what England captain Eoin Morgan said in the post-match presentation.
“The carry we saw throughout the whole game, it was surprising. Our guys don’t find it too hard to adjust. First half of our bowling was exceptional. The wicket stayed similar. When there’s one short side, you don’t know what’s a good score. It’s just the dynamics of T20 cricket. Jos is a world-class player, we are very lucky to have him. He competes with the best when it comes to opening the batting. He’s a great leader within our group. He’s a great friend of mine. The words he said really warmed my heart and I am very grateful for that”.
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Meanwhile, Jos Buttler was adjudged the player of the match for his outstanding knock that helped England get a 2-1 lead in the series.
“It was nice to spend time in the middle. It was a great team performance. We got some good partnerships to see us home. People don’t expect me to attack spinners, so I tried to take it on. It was nice to chance my arm today against Chahal. First six off Chahal got me off and running. We managed to have a good powerplay. I tried to get across what a special achievement it is to play 100 matches and what he’s (Morgan) done for English white ball cricket. Eoin’s taken our white ball fortunes to a completely new place we’ve never been before”, Buttler said.
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