INDIA beat ENGLAND by 15 Runs! Debutant Harshit Rana Stars and India Registered 17th T20I Series Win in Row
IND vs ENG 4th T20I: In a match that swung like a pendulum, both teams fought tooth and nail in a contest filled with twists and turns. India have defeated England in the 4th T20I by 15 runs and won the 17th T20I series in a row.
India’s early collapse left them gasping for breath, but a remarkable fightback brought them back into the game, thanks to two key players. England, chasing a challenging target, seemed to be in control until a sudden shift changed the course of the match. With wickets falling in clusters, the momentum shifted again and again. As the final overs approached, it was anyone’s game.
IND vs ENG 4th T20I Match Summary
For the first time in the series, Jos Buttler made the right call at the toss and opted to bowl first after winning the flip of the coin. They had two changes - Mahmood for Wood, and Bethell for Smith. Meanwhile, for India, Rinku Singh was fit and available so there were going to be some changes to the squad. Arshdeep came in place of Shami, Rinku came in for Jurel, and Shivam Dube came in for Washington Sundar.
INDIA Playing11: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy
ENGLAND Playing11: Philip Salt(w), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood
India Innings- 181/9 (20 Overs)
The Indian innings began on a shaky note, as early wickets put the team under pressure. Sanju Samson, the opener, was dismissed cheaply for just 1 run, followed by Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav, who both fell for ducks in the same over. This was the first time Saqib Mahmood played against India in India and he made the most with three wickets in his first over. The scoreboard showed a fragile 12/3 after just 2 overs, leaving the middle order to rebuild.
It was a daunting situation, but Abhishek Sharma rose to the occasion, playing a spirited knock. He added 29 runs, providing some stability before falling to Rashid. Despite the early collapse, Sharma’s contribution offered a glimmer of hope.
As wickets continued to fall, it was Rinku Singh who took charge next. His 30 runs came at a steady pace, keeping the innings afloat amid the tumbling wickets. However, with the loss of Rinku, Hardik Pandya stepped in and took charge. His aggressive knock of 53 off 30 balls injected much-needed momentum into the innings.
Pandya, known for his flair, played some brilliant shots, taking on the bowlers with confidence. But as he was dismissed at 166/6, the task of reaching a competitive total seemed daunting again.
In the final overs, Shivam Dube kept the hopes alive, contributing another vital 53 runs. With his resilience and some decent contributions from the middle order, the Indian team recovered from the early collapse and put forth a competitive total of 182 runs.
The innings ended at 181/9, with the team left to reflect on a few crucial missed opportunities. The loss of wickets in quick succession early on severely hampered their progress, making it difficult to post a bigger total. The standout performances of Pandya and Dube were overshadowed by the fragility at the top, leaving India with a comparatively easier target to defend.
England Innings-
England Started with Salt and Duckett and they just smashed all Indian bowlers to all parts of the ground in the first powerplay. Ben Duckett just went furious with an over 200 Strike rate in the first 6 overs losing his wicket on the last ball of the powerplay. Before that, he smashed 39 runs off just 18 balls. Phil Salt was equally aggressive, smoking four boundaries in the powerplay but fell against Axar Patel in the very next over after the powerplay.
Buttler went back soon in the 8th over and India were back in the game in the span of just 10 balls after the powerplay. Livingstone and Brook played out the tough session and the pressure started to build. Harshit Rana, the concussion substitute in for Shivam Dube got Liam Livingstone in the second ball of his first over.
Harry Brook took the charge and started the counterattack. He took Harshit Rana on for 18 runs in the 14th over but couldn't do it for long as Varun Chakravarthy got him just after the completion of his half-century. England were in all sorts of trouble as Bryden Carse also lost his wicket in the same over.
Harshit Rana again struck in his third over and took Bethell out of the game. Soon, Bishnoi got Archer and England were 8 down for 146 runs. They still needed 36 runs off 18 balls. Harshit bowled a tight 19th over and it was all over for England in the last over when Arshdeep Singh got Saqib Mahmood and England were bowled out for 166 runs. The picture was looking pretty clear after the 18th over and Harshit Rana made it obvious that India wins the series.
INDIA won the match by 15 runs