By Shrey Siddharth
The enormous decider was all set to crown the winner of the series in Motera between the men in blue and mighty English. England won the toss and chose to bowl yet again. They went with the unchanged playing eleven. India brought Natarajan in place of Rahul and interestingly Virat was opening the inning today. Here are the highlights from today’s game:-
Super V and Hitman’s iconic show:-
Virat Kohli’s tactical brilliance worked magnificently. He opened with Rohit Sharma for the first time in T20 and simply went all guns blazing with their ruthless strokeplay. From Rashid to Archer, Kohli and Rohit didn’t lift their foot off the peddle and smashed every bowler. The pull shot against Wood by both batsmen in the same over was a feast for the eyes of everyone. They put up a 94 run opening stand. Rohit got out after scoring 64. Virat stayed unbeaten for 80.
Pandya and Surya hammer England:-
Surya and Pandya stamped their authority on the English bowlers with their pitch hitting ability. Surya continued the momentum given by the openers and attacked Rashid straight away with his footwork and timing. He simply toiled with the fast bowlers while playing the unorthodox sweep and ramp shots behind square. It took a stunning effort by Jordan in the boundary to dismiss him for 32. Pandya attacked the pacers in the death overs with his power hitting and finished with an unbeaten 39. India posted a mammoth 224 in 20 overs, their highest total against England in T20s.
Indian bowlers seal the fate:-
After Bhuvneshvar knocked Roy for a duck in the first over, Butler and Malan built a commanding partnership of 130 for the second wicket. But the momentum shifted due to a 7 run over by Rahul Chahar. Bhuvneshwar led the batting collapse in his second spell by dismissing Butler for 52. Shardul roared with 3 wickets including the big fish Malan for 68. Pandya and Natarajan took one each. The slower ball variation caused the slow death of England’s chances to win the match.
India restricted England for 188-8, won the match comprehensively by 36 runs and won the series 3-2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the man of the match for his bowling masterclass of 2-15. Kohli was given the man of the series for 3 match-winning innings. India’s dream run in T20 cricket continues as they won their 8th consecutive series.
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