Anyone for a Curry England tour of India 2021

[Admin]

India 145 (Rohit 66, Root 5-8) and 49 for 0 (Rohit 25*) beat England 112 (Crawley 53, Patel 6-38) and 81 (Patel 5-32) by 10 wickets

Manic, manic, manic. The speed of the final act of the third Test was, on the one hand, a gross misrepresentation of the extraordinary mayhem that had preceded it. As Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill flogged a dispirited and under-resourced England spin attack to all corners, picking off a paltry target of 49 in 7.4 overs and with ten wickets in hand, it might have appeared to any latecomers that India's dominance in home-spun conditions had been entirely, and predictably, unchallenged.


But on the other hand, that final flurry was a perfectly crazy denouement to a match that had been accelerating all the way through like a pair of brawlers tumbling down a flight of stairs - a contest wrapped up, with a vast six over wide long-on from Rohit, only minutes after tea on the second day of action, making the shortest completed Test match since 1935, after 17 wickets had tumbled in the first two sessions of the day, and 30 in the first five all told.

[Admin]

Rainford-Brent apparently has said that it is right for England to rest plyers for the World T20 in October seriously, look forward to raging turners at Old Trafford this summer won't happen will get get wickets that will last for weeks. Time the counties ditchd the ECB did their own thing 17 three day games all at out grounds proper cricket

[Admin]

Woakes on the way home played zero games

[Admin]

The groundsman preparing the next wicket at Ahmenabad

[Admin]

4th TEST 4/3/2021 TO 8/3/2021 Days 3-5 optional AHMANABAD

[Admin]

India 24 for 1 trail England 205 (Stokes 55, Lawrence 46, Patel 4-68) by 181 runs

England fought the conditions, a well-tuned India attack, and the internal momentum of their own fading batting fortunes to try and stay in contention on the first day of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad. The best that could be said of England's total of 205 was that it was more than they had achieved across two innings on the same ground last week; the worst, that there is no team more adept than India at making such hard graft look inadequate.

Having won the toss and chosen to bat, there was no doubt that England had left runs on the table. Only Ben Stokes managed to fashion a half-century, and the highest partnership of the innings was 48. Since piling up 578 in benign conditions at the outset of the series in Chennai, England's batsmen have yet to produce another fifty stand.

Arguably things could have been worse. With Axar Patel continuing his fine debut series by claiming four more wickets - taking his tally to 22 at 10.81 - and Joe Root falling cheaply to the bristling Mohammed Siraj early in the day, England's middle and lower order, strengthened by the presence of the recalled Dan Lawrence at No. 7, staved off complete collapse. James Anderson then struck with his third ball, Shubman Gill trapped lbw, to ensure that India had to plot a watchful course through to the close.

England had drastically altered the balance of their side, picking an extra batsman and bringing back Dom Bess to support Anderson and Jack Leach - though the evidence of the first part of the day was that seam would play a greater part than it did in the day-night Test, as Siraj in particular probed away. Stokes took the new ball, for the first time in his Test career, before giving way to Leach, but Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara experienced few alarms as the shadows lengthened.

Anderson's immediate intervention during a spell of 5-5-0-1, and the fact that they managed to creep past 200 for the first time in six innings, perhaps gave England a little to feel encouraged about after heavy defeats in the previous two Tests. Again there were signs of turn on day one, though fewer puffs of dust than at Chepauk and without the lacquer-ish all sorts that made the pink ball so hard to combat.

For the third time in four Tests, Root won first use of the surface, but despite positive talk about looking to find a way to score in these conditions, England were quickly in trouble as they slipped to 30 for 3. Patel's mesmeric hold could not be broken, as he removed Dom Sibley with his second delivery after coming on in the sixth over - forewarned was not forearmed against Patel's arm ball, Sibley playing for turn only to be bowled off his inside edge.

It was two in two overs when Zak Crawley, who had just stroked four through mid-off, tried to come down once again but did not get to the pitch, lofting tamely to mid-off; Crawley has now been dismissed by the left-arm spin of Patel and Lasith Embuldeniya seven times out of seven on England's tours of India and Sri Lanka.

When the bustling Siraj jagged one back to rap Root on the back pad straight after the drinks break, England's innings was threatening to go into another tailspin. But Jonny Bairstow overcame a jittery start, carving six fours before the lunch break as he and Stokes repelled all borders for a period. Stokes had faced 24 balls by the time R Ashwin was introduced to the attack, and he promptly pumped his 26th over long-off to signal that he would not go meekly.

With Virat Kohli happy to play a waiting game, rotating his bowlers regularly, it was again Siraj who provided the breakthrough shortly after lunch, winning an lbw decision against Bairstow that returned a verdict of umpire's call on DRS. But Stokes had seemingly discovered his groove, seeing off his nemesis - of Ashwin's initial eight-over spell, Stokes faced 41 balls (and soaked up 38 dots) - before he began to open up, slog-sweeping Washington Sundar for six, and then going to his fifty by reversing Patel for four.

England, however, were left with a sense of what might have been. Stokes, Ollie Pope and Lawrence all showed flashes of what was needed to succeed, but India's quality and depth presents an unrelenting challenge. Sundar found the right line with his offspin to befuddle Stokes, beaten by another non-turner to be lbw, and Ashwin removed Pope for the third innings in a row, Gill reacting smartly to an inside edge that went through the batsman's legs before deflecting up off the back pad flap.

Ben Foakes was lured into a furtive prod to slip by Ashwin, and although Lawrence struck several pleasing boundaries in reaching 46, he became Patel's third victim after unsuccessfully giving the bowler the charge. With Bess trapped lbw in the same over, it required Leach and Anderson to pilfer enough runs for the last wicket to breach 200. Australia, watching on hopeful of an England win to edge out India for a spot in the World Test Championship final, won't be booking their charter flight just yet.

Alan Gardner is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick

[Admin]

India 294 for 7 (Pant 101, Sundar 60*, Anderson 3-40) lead England 205 by 89 runs

A day of two halves in Ahmedabad saw India seize control of the fourth Test, as an innings of two halves from Rishabh Pant cut England down to size. Pant's maiden hundred on home soil was a masterpiece of adapting his game to the demands of conditions and match situation, and by the time he had flamed out, English hopes of hanging in the game had largely gone up in smoke.

Seeking the sort of first-innings runs that would define the contest, India had stuttered and stumbled to 146 for 6 during the afternoon session, as England succeeded in their attempts to control the run rate while making regular incisions. Ben Stokes, who hurled himself through 20 overs in the day for the wickets of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and James Anderson set the tone from the outset as Joe Root shuffled his hand adroitly in defence of his side's mediocre efforts with the bat.

But the struggles of Dom Bess left England's four-man attack stretched, as a century stand between Pant and Washington Sundar wrested back control. Initially, runs came in circumspect fashion as India sought to rebuild, and had Bess been granted an lbw decision when Pant had 35 - umpire Nitin Menon's not-out call was upheld by the narrowest of margins on DRS - things could have taken a wholly different course. As it was, Pant took the game into his own hands.

A watchful half-century from 82 balls provided the kindling for Pant to ignite against a toiling opposition late in the day. Sparks flew and runs flowed, England's plans to bowl dry blown clean out of the water on a parched late Gujarati afternoon, as Pant raced on to his hundred in the space of another 33 deliveries. He fell moments later, but Sundar carried on the good work until the close to leave India in sight of 300 and a potentially decisive lead.

For a while, with India six down and the game in the balance, it was tempting to wonder how much Kohli really did care about the World Test Championship final. Defeat here would cost India their spot, and the captain was one of three wickets to fall - for his second duck of the series - during a morning session which yielded just 56 runs. The dismissal of Rohit one short of fifty then left India in need of some lower-order gumption to keep England at bay.

But on a pitch that has been tougher to master than had initially seemed apparent, Pant soared above the competition. If the surface was two-paced, so was Pant's innings. His control of the situation was evident in the way he kicked up through the gears around the arrival of the new ball - a juncture that might have brought England some relief, with Root increasingly reluctant to turn to Bess' offspin - as back-to-back boundaries off Stokes put India level on the scoreboard.

Further audacity was to come. Anderson, new ball in hand, was greeted by being pumped for fours through mid-off and cover, before the sucker punch: an insouciant reverse-scoop over the slips that even forced a wry grimace from England's 38-year-old attack leader. His hundred was reached soon after with a slog-swept six off Root, to the delight of a vocal Motera crowd; after steadfastly laying the foundations, this was back to seat-of-the-Pant batting as advertised.

Although Anderson eventually scragged the youngster for 101, caught hammering a pull to midwicket, the scales had shifted. Sundar brought up his third Test fifty with a back-foot flay through the off side that typified his own increasingly assured innings, and 141 runs bled through the final session to leave England facing a battle for survival in the third innings.

Anderson's figures told a story in themselves. He began the day having not conceded a run, and had figures of 17-11-19-2 before the late carnage; of the seven boundaries he conceded, five came via Pant's bat. But Anderson and Stokes had to share a heavy workload, as Bess failed to hit his lengths once again, all too often contributing to releasing the pressure that England had striven to build up. Even when Bess did belatedly win an lbw decision against Sundar in the penultimate over of the day, it was overturned on review.

England's hopes of limiting India to a score somewhere in the region of 200 had initially been lifted after a disciplined morning session. Jack Leach struck first, sliding a delivery into Cheteshwar Pujara's front pad fractionally before his bat came through in defence, before Kohli was extracted via a Stokes bouncer and a feathered edge to the keeper.

Anderson accounted for Ajinkya Rahane with the final ball before lunch and although Rohit again looked in ominous touch, a marginal lbw decision buoyed Stokes and England further. When R Ashwin chipped tamely to midwicket for Leach's second wicket, the hosts seemed to be on the ropes, only for Pant's innings and his mature partnership with Sundar to give them control of the ring.

Alan Gardner is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick

[Admin]

PITIFUL

India 365 (Pant 101, Sundar 96, Stokes 4-89) beat England 205 (Stokes 55, Patel 4-68) and 135 (Lawrence 50, Ashwin 5-47, Patel 5-48) by an innings and 25 runs

India wrapped up a convincing innings victory to seal a 3-1 series result and a spot in the World Test Championship final, after England collapsed against spin for the final time on tour. Although Washington Sundar was left high and dry four runs short of a maiden Test hundred, Axar Patel hounded the visitors for his fourth five-for of an immensely impressive debut series to help confirm the inevitable midway through the evening session on day three.

If the morning had dawned amid debate over whether England could limit India's lead and then set some sort of target in the fourth innings, events quickly spiralled out of their control. Sundar had batted impressively in the slipstream of Rishabh Pant on the second day to revive India from trouble at 146 for 6, and he seemed destined to become a Test centurion at the age of 21, only to run out of partners in anticlimactic fashion as the last three wickets fell for no runs in five balls.

He was applauded from the field by team-mates and fans nevertheless, and although England's openers managed to survive a three-over spell before the lunch break, India soon took the game by the throat. Six wickets tumbled during an afternoon session in which England skittered and scraped to 65 for 6, and only a doughty fifty from Dan Lawrence prevented India from putting their feet up much earlier.

Having poked the bear by winning the first Test, England were on the end of a third successive mauling. Joe Root had suggested that swindling their way to 2-2 in Ahmedabad would represent an "phenomenal" result for his side, given India's home record over the last decade is one of almost unbroken dominance, but England once again paid a heavy price for underperforming with the bat in conditions that were far less demanding than those encountered in the second and third Tests.

Sundar, batting at No. 8 in only his fourth Test, emphasised the gulf. There was barely a false shot as he went about compiling a four-hour innings that looked set to end with his bat raised to the cavernous Motera stands; even without the garland, his 96 was a higher score than any England batsman barring Root managed in the entire series.

His efforts extended India's lead from 89 overnight to a daunting 160, and it soon became clear that England did not have the stomach for one last fight. R Ashwin scalped two wickets in his opening over and four of the top five were dismissed in single figures as panic set in once again. Lawrence provided a glimmer as England attempted to at least make India bat again, but he was last man out after notching a second Test fifty, as Ashwin completed a five-wicket haul of his own.

Overall, Ashwin and Patel claimed 59 wickets between them, at averages of 14.71 and 10.59 respectively, as English uncertainties on even vaguely spin-friendly surfaces were ruthlessly exploited.

The first 90 minutes of play had been conspicuously lacking in drama, as Sundar and Patel calmly extended their eighth-wicket stand to 106. Both made Test-best scores against a toiling England attack but, with Sundar's milestone almost in touching distance, the innings suddenly imploded.

It took a run-out to break the partnership, as Patel impetuously left his crease for a non-existent single to mid-on. His dive was in vain, and both players averted their eyes - perhaps sensing what might be to come. Ben Stokes immediately dispatched Ishant Sharma lbw and then three balls later castled Mohammed Siraj, leaving Sundar waiting for his moment.


In a hole after winning the toss and cobbling together just 205, England swiftly returned to digging. Zak Crawley completed a difficult first tour of Asia by edging Ashwin to slip - the first time he had not been dismissed by left-arm spin across four Tests in Sri Lanka and India - and Jonny Bairstow then turned his first ball straight to leg slip for a third duck in four innings. Dom Sibley was a touch unfortunate to caught when his powerful sweep ricoheted off the pads of short leg, but Stokes fell tamely, paddling Patel to leg slip.

Ollie Pope led a skittish existence before being stumped - more fine glovework from Pant, as he clasped the ball by his chin - and Root was caught on the crease to give Ashwin a third. Lawrence and Ben Foakes resisted for a while, but when the latter poked at Patel with the stand having reached 44, it ensured England would go through seven successive innings since amassing 578 in Chennai without managing a fifty partnership.

The curtain fell soon after, Patel and Ashwin rounding up the tail to confirm India's date at Lord's (or wherever the WTC final ends up being played). Denying Australia a backdoor route to the decider would have to suffice as consolation for England.

Alan Gardner is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo. @alanroderick

[lancsdes]

What can you expect really when the ECB penalise counties with spinning pitches and play game at times to discourage spin.

[Admin]

Apparently great performance in a meaningless firendly make a prediction end of this year Archer will not be playing Test Cricket

First Twenty20, Ahmedabad
India 124-7 (20 overs): Iyer 67 (48); Archer 3-23
England 130-2 (15.3 overs): Roy 49 (32)
England won by eight wickets

A magnificent bowling performance set England on the way to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over India in the first Twenty20 in Ahmedabad.

Jofra Archer's 3-23 spearheaded a relentless showing from the pace bowlers, while leg-spinner Adil Rashid opened the bowling and dismissed home captain Virat Kohli for a duck.

Only Shreyas Iyer, with 67 from 48 balls, got to grips with the England attack and the two-paced pitche as India struggled to 124-7.

England sauntered in the chase, Jason Roy crashing 49 from 32 deliveries to help the tourists to their target with 27 balls to spare.

The second game of the five-match series takes place on Sunday.


After England were outplayed in losing the Test series 3-1, the T20s looked like a mouthwatering contest - the two best teams in the world, with all the matches played in the world's biggest cricket stadium, seven months away from a World Cup in India.

With a full-strength side at his disposal, England captain Eoin Morgan said this was a learning experience before the World Cup.

As it turned out, the tourists were completely dominant from the moment Morgan won the toss.

As a collective, the fast bowlers were pacey, pounding away short of a length. Morgan's decision to entrust Rashid with the new ball was astute, typifying his excellent night as captain, while England's fielding was faultless.

There was no sign of England's batting struggles from the Test series, and the contest was over long before Dawid Malan sealed victory with a straight six.

Archer shows his class
Archer has endured a difficult tour, missing two Tests with an elbow injury, then using his newspaper column to respond to questions over his desire to play for England.

In the shortest format, he has few peers. Here, he put in the sort of performance that brought him the Most Valuable Player award at last year's Indian Premier League.

He had KL Rahul drag on in the second over, then later returned to have the dangerous Hardik Pandya held at mid-off and Shardul Thakur hook the next ball to deep square leg.

The rest of the pace bowlers followed his example. Mark Wood was constantly above 90mph, Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes ensured there was no respite, while Sam Curran went through his range of variations.

Still, the most telling blow came from Rashid. When Kohli slapped his fifth delivery to mid-off, a crowd of 67,200 in Ahmedabad fell silent.

India outplayed
This was a dreadful performance from India, who rested opener Rohit Sharma, then saw their batting strangled.

Iyer impressed with his touch and timing, while Rishabh Pant played an outrageous reverse ramp off Archer that went for six, but the rest made little to no impact.

Whereas England relied on pace, India chose three frontline spinners, only for Roy to climb into leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

Even though Chahal ended an opening stand of 72 when he had Jos Buttler lbw for 28 and Roy was leg before to Washington Sundar, Jonny Bairstow arrived a man transformed from the one who registered three ducks in four Test innings.

Victory was England's biggest over India in T20s in terms of wickets and balls remaining.

'Huge amount of competition for places' - what they said
England captain Eoin Morgan: "We are trying to cover all departments, particularly when we're under the pump. Today the guys were so good they didn't allow that to happen.

"There's a huge amount of competition for places. When Jason scores runs and goes well, it really does gee the boys up."

Man of the match Jofra Archer: "I'd rather go for dot balls in the powerplay than wickets, and if you get the wicket it's the bonus. The pressure that creates normally helps the other bowler."

India captain Virat Kohli: "We weren't aware enough of what we had to do on that kind of a pitch - a lack of execution of the shots we tried to play."

[Admin]

HOW CAN WE LOSE WE PLAY OUR BEST SIDE

Second Twenty20, Ahmedabad
England 164-6 (20 overs): Roy 46 (35); Sundar 2-29, Thakur 2-29
India 166-3 (17.5 overs): Kohli 73* (49), Kishan 56 (32)
India won by seven wickets
Scorecard
England suffered a chastening seven-wicket defeat by a resurgent India in the second Twenty20 in Ahmedabad.

After overpowering the hosts in the series opener, England put in a timid performance on a slow pitch.

Asked to bat first, they were gradually stifled after Jason Roy was dismissed for 46, their 164-6 nothing better than par.

It was put into context by a swashbuckling 32-ball 56 on debut by Ishan Kishan, who survived giving a simple chance to Ben Stokes at long-on on 40 - a mistake that typified England's sloppy display.

Kishan added 94 with India captain Virat Kohli, whose unbeaten 73 off 49 balls also included an escape when he gave a tough chance down the leg side to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler on 10.

The composed Kohli pulled a six to take India to their target with 13 balls to spare, levelling the series before Tuesday's third match at the same venue.

A five-match series between the two best sides in the world seven months out from a T20 World Cup in India is increasing in intrigue, not least because of the reversal of roles from England's opening eight-wicket win.

Facing the challenges India failed to meet in the first game - batting first, the tricky surface, bowling second with a ball made damp by the dew - England put in a performance as poor as their Friday showing was excellent.

The tourists were hampered by the absence of Mark Wood, who was ruled out with a bruised heel, and the pace bowlers that were so dangerous two nights ago were largely ineffective.

India were not faultless - some better fielding would have made their pursuit even easier - but the bowling at the end of England's innings was outstanding before Kishan ignited the pursuit.

Rejuvenated, the hosts - in particular master run-chaser Kohli - delighted a raucous crowd of more than 66,000 inside the world's largest cricket stadium.

Sub-par England well beaten
Although England lost Buttler for a golden duck in the first over, a second-wicket partnership of 63 between Roy and Dawid Malan gave them a solid platform.

Roy's swishing and swiping gave clues to the difficult batting conditions and, after he miscued off-spinner Washington Sundar to be caught at deep square leg, England stalled.

Only two boundaries and 35 runs came from the final five overs. Pace bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur and Hardik Pandya bowled almost exclusively slower balls, with Pandya's return of 0-33 particularly important because the all-rounder was required to deliver a full complement of four overs given the altered balance of the side.

Kishan - making his debut alongside fellow batsman Suryakumar Yadav in place of opener Shikhar Dhawan and spinner Axar Patel respectively - instantly impressed, making light of KL Rahul falling to Sam Curran in the first over of the chase.

Left-hander Kishan targeted the leg side, punishing Chris Jordan, Tom Curran and Stokes, who were all expensive.

His assault allowed Kohli to play the anchor and, although Kishan was lbw reverse-sweeping Adil Rashid, Rishabh Pant picked up the mantle with a thrilling 26 from only 13 balls.

Kohli survived a marginal stumping appeal off Rashid on 54 in scenes reminiscent of England's frustration with the third umpire from the Test series, but, by then, India were well on course for victory.

Virat Kohli
By hitting a six to win the match, Kohli became the first batsman to reach 3,000 T20 international runs
'We ticked all the boxes' - what they said
England captain Eoin Morgan: "Today was a different challenge to the first game. We want to learn as much as possible from tonight. I'm glad we played on this kind of wicket but I'm disappointed with the way we played.

"At the halfway stage we were probably in or around par. Full credit to India with the way they bowled. With the batting they put us on the back foot straight away.

"Woody feels better today so hopefully he'll be OK for the third game."

India captain Viart Kohli: "We ticked all the boxes that we wanted to, especially with the ball. I'm very, very happy with our bowing effort, and with the bat it was a convincing finish.

"England is a quality side - you need to play at your best to beat them. You have to be precise, be professional and finish the job, and that's what we did tonight.

"Ishan changed the game completely. He totally took the game away from the opposition - a quality innings on debut. He is a fearless character. He should continue to back his instincts. He knew he was hitting the ball well, but he was calculated - he wasn't reckless."

Man of the match Ishan Kishan: "I got a good start and I just wanted to finish the game. I was looking all over the ground and I was feeling so happy that finally, I am here and it is time to show my game now. I wanted to prove myself."

[Admin]

Last three games benind closed doors

[Admin]

Lancashire player!!! wins game for England

Third Twenty20, Ahmedabad
India 156-6 (20 overs): Kohli 77* (46); Wood 3-31
England 158-2 (18.2 overs): Buttler 83* (52), Bairstow 40* (28)
England won by eight wickets
Scorecard
Jos Buttler's brutal hitting trumped the genius of Virat Kohli in England's eight-wicket defeat of India in the third Twenty20 in Ahmedabad.

Buttler muscled an unbeaten 83 from 52 balls to help England to their target of 157 with 10 balls to spare.

That was still closer than the contest could have been when India found themselves 24-3 after six overs and 87-5 from 15.

They were kept in it by captain Kohli, whose thrilling 77 not out from 46 balls illuminated a stadium left empty by the decision to play the last three matches of the series behind closed doors.

On the day captain Eoin Morgan became the first man to reach 100 T20 caps for England, his side moved 2-1 up with two matches to play and can seal the series on Thursday.

'It nearly got me to tears' - emotional Morgan on 100th T20 for England

Just as in the first two matches, when victories were traded, the side that won the toss won this game.

England's fast bowlers also repeated their superb display from the series opener, hitting the India batsmen with a barrage of short bowling on a two-paced surface.

The fit-again Mark Wood was particularly impressive, his figures of 3-31 only damaged when he took the brunt of Kohli's late assault.

With Kohli reversing the momentum and lifting India to a competitive total, England could have been pressured in the chase, but any notion of difficulty was quickly removed by Buttler.

Targeting the leg side, he got into his stride by hitting two huge sixes over long-on in the same Yuzvendra Chahal over.

England scored at almost 10 an over in the powerplay, a rapid start that meant the remainder of the chase was calm and controlled.

Buttler added 68 with Dawid Malan and an unbroken 77 with Jonny Bairstow on the way to making his highest score in a T20 international.

Buttler should have been taken at point by Kohli on 76 when he reverse-swept Chahal, while Chahal made a meal of a chance to catch Bairstow, who ended 40 not out.

On his landmark day, Morgan was not even required to bat.


KL Rahul was bowled by Wood for his second successive duck, the returning Rohit Sharma miscued the same bowler to short fine leg and Ishan Kishan was discomforted before top-edging Chris Jordan.

But Kohli instantly looked a class apart, first assessing the conditions, then exploding into an exhilarating blur of drives and pulls.

He had 28 from his first 29 balls, then took 49 runs off his next 17, a spell that included five fours and four sixes.

He danced around the crease, toying with the attack in a knock that deserved to be appreciated by an adoring crowd inside the world's largest cricket stadium.

In all, India took 69 from the final five overs. Buttler showed it was not nearly enough.

'We're very lucky to have him' - what they said
England captain Eoin Morgan: "Jos is a world-class player. We're very lucky to have him. He competes with the best in the world when it comes to opening the batting. He's been in incredible form and he's a great leader in our group. He's a huge influence."

Man of the match Jos Buttler: "I like being not out in the end and getting the side over the line. Some people don't expect me to attack the spinners so I thought I would take it on."

India captain Virat Kohli: "The England bowlers were brilliant with the new ball - they hardly gave us anything. I don't think our body language was good enough in the second half in the field. You need more energy."

England T20 bowler Tymal Mills on BBC Sport: "An excellent win for England. They set the tone brilliantly with the powerplay bowling at the start. Wood in particular was excellent.

"Then it was a really impressive, measured chase with Jos Buttler knowing when to go up and down the gears."

[Admin]

India 185 for 8 (Suryakumar 57, Iyer 37, Archer 4-33) beat England 177 for 8 (Stokes 46, Roy 40, Thakur 3-42, Pandya 2-16) by eight runs

India broke the trend of win toss-bat second-win game, squeezing out a thrilling eight-run win in the fourth T20I against England on Thursday after being asked to bat first. The two teams will now head into the final game with the series 2-2.

There was high drama, great skill on display with bat and ball, and a spot of umpiring controversy in a match that packed plentiful action in 20 overs across both innings. In his first time batting for India, Suryakumar Yadav made a splash few will forget, top-scoring with a rollicking 57 off 31 that turbo-charged India's start. His innings and his dismissal will vie for headline space with each other though. Yadav was rattling along at more than 11 runs per over when he top-edged a sweep to deep backward square leg, where Dawid Malan got to the ball even as it was dipping down. Numerous replays later, Yadav was adjudged out, with the third umpire ruling that there wasn't enough evidence to overturn the on-field soft signal of 'out'.

Yadav's departure in the 14th over left the game delicately poised, but Shreyas Iyer launched into perhaps his best T20I innings yet, with a sparkling 37 off 18 that gave India a total that was above par, even though this was the best batting pitch of the series and there was dew around.

England's reply progressed in fits and starts, Jason Roy shrugging off a slow start to lay into the bowling and then Ben Stokes unleashing his power at the back end, but India's bowlers showed excellent control with a ball that was getting wetter, sticking to their lengths and varying their pace. England's chase looked in control when Stokes was blazing away, but a double-wicket over from Shardul Thakur sent back Stokes and Eoin Morgan, swinging the momentum decisively India's way

He had waited for a long time to make his debut for India. He waited some more before he got to actually bat. And when he did, he ensured his first time batting for India wouldn't be forgotten. With Jofra Archer - one of England's two thunderbolt deliverers - pounding in a 144 kph back-of-length ball at his ribs, Yadav coolly moved inside the line, and hoicked a pull shot over fine leg, front leg in the air by the time he had pirouetted. As statements of intent go, it was tough to top that one.

Yadav continued with the same intent, if not at the same strike rate, but his bustle meant India had an ingredient that had been missing in their two defeats batting first in the series: a non-sputtering scoreboard up top. Yadav was imperious while driving, expertly skilful in manipulating the field when scoring runs behind the wicket, and nerveless in his shot-making. If there were any butterflies about batting in an India shirt for the first time, they were well hidden.



Sam Curran was brought on for his first over in the 14th of the innings, and his first ball was swept disdainfully over fine leg. Yadav attempted to repeat that shot next ball, but only got a top edge. Malan ran forward and grabbed the ball very low while still going forward, with palms facing down. The decision was referred to the third umpire, with the soft signal on-field being 'out'. Replays seemed to suggest the ball had touched the turf with Malan not having any fingers underneath it, but third umpire Virender Sharma ruled that there wasn't enough conclusive evidence to overturn the soft signal, and Yadav had to go.

It could have derailed India's innings, but Iyer came out and peppered the square and straight boundaries with elan, not only ensuring the run-rate or morale didn't flag but also keeping India on course for a winning total. The surge at the death was reined in slightly towards the end, as Archer finished with T20I-best figures of 4 for 33, while Mark Wood was menacingly impressive once again in his 1 for 25.



Virat Kohli gambled by throwing Hardik Pandya the new ball, and Pandya responded by bowling two overs in the powerplay while giving up only five runs.

Jason Roy took nine balls to get off the mark, and at the other end, Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Jos Buttler in the third over. Roy got a couple of streaky boundaries away before breaking free when Washington Sundar came on. What India's bowlers did well though, was in not letting England string together a sequence of heavy-duty overs. When England looked like stepping on it, the bowlers reined them back in. Pandya bowled his third and fourth overs well spaced out, one in the middle and one at the death, but each time his changes of pace foxed batsmen. He ended with 2 for 16 in four overs, in a game where the average run-rate was over nine. What England might have thought of as the bowler they could target, turned into one who had the most economical figures in the match.



England's depth meant they were still not out of it, even when the asking rate ballooned to almost 12 an over, with the team 79 for 3 in 11 overs. Stokes, who hadn't quite hit his batting stride so far in the series, started less than fluently, but a mow down the ground that went at light speed off Sundar at the start of the 12th over kicked him into high gear. Stokes began to find his timing and his range, while Jonny Bairstow was doing the same after an indifferent start. Even after Bairstow fell to Rahul Chahar - given an opportunity instead of Yuzvendra Chahal in this game - Stokes didn't slow down.

With England needing 46 from the last four, and Stokes having Eoin Morgan alongside, the visiting side were favourites. Thakur changed that within two balls, having both men caught mis-hitting slower balls. Thakur, who had shown an excellent repertoire of slower balls in the third T20I too, brought his variety into play once again and was difficult to line up. Once England had lost both Stokes and Morgan, India didn't let the advantage slip.

Saurabh Somani is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

[Admin]

India 224 for 2 (Kohli 80*, Sharma 64) beat England 188 for 8 (Malan 68, Buttler 52, Thakur 3-45, Kumar 2-15) by 36 runs

An unbeaten 80 by Virat Kohli and a stunning half-century by Rohit Sharma in an unfamiliar but effective opening partnership helped India set India up for a comfortable win in the fifth T20I before Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished it off to seal the series 3-2 in Ahmedabad.



India left out regular opener KL Rahul and brought in an extra bowler, T Natarajan, in a move Kohli described at the toss as prompted by a desire to "bring in a good balance with bat and ball". But there was no denying Rahul's struggles - he had made 1, 0, 0, and 14 in the series - and his absence meant Kohli would open for just the eighth time in T20Is. Kohli and Sharma combined for a 94-run stand from 56 balls to lead India to a commanding total of 224 for 2, their third-highest T20I total at home and fourth highest overall. Persisting with the back-of-a-length and short-pitched bowling which had brought them success through the series, England's attack looked toothless on this occasion as India's batsmen adapted and thrived.

England had said after India levelled the series 2-2 with an eight-run victory on Thursday that they would relish the pressure of a must-win clash as ideal preparation for the World Cup in October. They set out in pursuit needing to score at 11.2 an over and recovered from the early loss of Jason Roy as Dawid Malan and Jos Buttler carried them to 62 for 1 by the end of the powerplay, which compared favourably with India's 60 for 0, en route to a 130-run partnership.

But some wonderful bowling by Kumar - who claimed 2 for 15 from his four overs, including 17 dot balls and the vital wickets of Roy and Buttler on a batting-friendly pitch - damaged England's hopes beyond repair. Shardul Thakur accounted for Malan and Jonny Bairstow in the space of four deliveries, which left England needing 83 off the last five overs. When Eoin Morgan fell cheaply to Pandya, the task proved too much.

Going into the match with scores of 15 and 12 for the series after being rested for the first two matches, Sharma unleashed a masterclass of timing, power and elegance with an effortless-looking 64 off just 34 balls that consigned Kohli to the shade initially. No sooner had Kohli thumped Jofra Archer for a beautiful cover drive for four, Sharma signalled his intent, threading an Archer slower ball between point and cover for a boundary of his own. From there, Rohit took charge, nailing Adil Rashid over deep midwicket for the first of five sixes.

When Mark Wood came into the attack in the fourth over, India took 13 off it, including two fours that Rohit drilled straight back down the ground. Kohli brought up India's 50 with a huge six over long leg in Wood's next over and Rohit produced an almost identical shot three balls later. Wood, having taken 3 for 18 over the three previous powerplays he bowled in this series, ended up conceding 28 runs off two overs with nothing to show for it in this one. Rohit crashed sixes off Jordan, thudded over deep square leg, off Sam Curran to bring up his fifty having narrowly evaded Wood in the deep when his leading edge dropped short, and off Ben Stokes with an 83m hit down the ground. It was Stokes who finally made the breakthrough with a legcutter which Sharma dragged back onto his stumps to end an entertaining and valuable innings.

Kohli took his cue at Sharma's dismissal and stepped into the limelight with an unbeaten 80 off 52 deliveries. He was well supported by Suryakumar Yadav, who had top-scored with 57 in the fourth match, which was just his second T20I. This time Yadav played a tidy cameo of 32, hitting not his first ball for six as he had in his previous innings, but his second and third, both off Rashid. After 10 overs, India had struck eight sixes. Only once had they hit more by the halfway stage of a T20I - 10 against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2009. Hardik Pandya was unbeaten with 39 off 17 but it was Kohli who provided the steel in an imposing India innings. He added another six to his earlier one off Wood and his seven fours, when he charged down the pitch to launch Stokes over long-on in the 13th over. He brought up his third fifty of the series with two clipped neatly through square leg off Wood and took 12 runs of Archer in the final over of the innings.



Chris Jordan's torrid time with the ball was epitomised when he all but nailed his yorker to Yadav only to watch the batsman thread it nonchalantly between point and third man. Jordan managed a wry smile at the time but he brought a grin to his team-mates' faces - none more so than Roy - with his hand in Yadav's eventual dismissal. Yadav lofted Rashid down the ground and Jordan, running full-pelt towards the boundary to his right from long-on, stuck out his right hand and the ball stuck beautifully. That was until Jordan's momentum continued to propel him over the rope and he had the presence of mind to lob it to Roy, waiting like a Cheshire cat at deep midwicket. The catch would go down next to Roy's name, perhaps adding insult to the injury of Jordan conceding 57 from four wicketless overs, but his brilliance in the field was undeniable. And, while it's little consolation, he wasn't the only England bowler left hurting - Wood went for 53 runs from his four overs.



When Kumar had Roy out for a duck on the second ball of England's chase, with one that swung in as the batsman charged down the wicket for an attempted slog over midwicket and clattered into middle and off, it was still India's game. But then England showed the might of a top order that the likes of Alex Hales - historical off-field issues aside - and Joe Root can't break into. England could have been tempted to tinker with line-up, with suggestions they should take a look at Stokes at No. 3, and they might have done had it been a dead rubber but, with the series on the line, they went with their full-strength side. Malan, the No. 1-ranked T20I batsman in the world, had not breached 25 in four innings going into the match. But his 68, combined with some power hitting by Buttler, who carted Rahul Chahar for two sixes in the eighth over and another in Chahar's next as the bowler conceded 20 runs in seven balls, kept England in the contest.


Malan also broke Babar Azam's record for the fastest batsman to 1000 T20I runs. Azam reached the mark in 26 innings, while Malan's knock took him to 1003 runs in 24 innings.



It was Kumar who had put England on the back foot and he struck again when Buttler holed out to Pandya at long-off for 52 in a pivotal 13th over of the innings yielding not only the wicket but just three runs. By that stage England had fallen considerably behind at 130 for 2, compared with India's 140 for 1. At the same time, Kumar had taken 2 for 9 from three overs to squeeze England before Thakur and Pandya accounted for Bairstow, Malan and Morgan in quick succession to leave the tourists short of answers.

Valkerie Baynes is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo