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Magnificent bowlers rally to pull England back from brink

rob bagchi
·37-min read
Adil Rashid
Adil Rashid (centre) is congratulated by captain Jos Buttler after taking Tilak Varma’s wicket - AP/Ajit Solanki

At 127 for eight, England were floundering in familiar fashion against spin, with this game and series slipping beyond them – and then Adil Rashid got involved.

Rashid’s interventions with bat then ball inspired a 26-run victory that was so comfortable the result seemed certain by the end of his spell, in the 14th over of India’s chase. The tourists have a foothold in this series and plenty to take from their best performance yet.

Rashid is 37 next month, but according to England’s captain Jos Buttler he is still their most important player. On this evidence it is impossible to disagree. While India’s spinners are led by the magnificent Varun Chakravarthy, who took five for 23 here, they hunt as a pack – five of them shared 13 overs. Rashid is England’s lone wolf; he was supported by a single over from Liam Livingstone, with the other 15 bowled – very well, it should be said, by quicks. England may struggle to play spin, but they do have one man who is very special when bowling it. They are priming Rehan Ahmed as a successor, but Rashid is their one irreplaceable player.

Defending 171, every member of England’s attack was superb, and they were backed up by some brilliant catching (notably from Jofra Archer, taking a swirling effort off Abhishek Sharma, who was so brilliant in Kolkata) and ground-fielding that turned India’s twos into ones and ones into dots. Although others took more wickets, Rashid was the standout. He followed one for 14 in Chennai with one for 15 here, seeming to bowl slower with each passing delivery. He strangled India, and bowled the hero of Chennai, Tilak Varma, with a bona fide beauty, the big-turning leggie. He could have had more.

“He is [magic],” smiled Buttler. “We are very fortunate to have him. He’s been around for so long and he’s getting better and better. I’ve said so many times he’s the most important player in the team. He’s bowling beautifully, so it’s a joy to watch him.

“He’s got so many different styles of bowling, he’s got so much variety and one of his great skills is in his first couple of balls, he seems to work out exactly how he needs to bowl on that wicket. He’s an absolute trump card to have as a captain. He’s been brilliant the last couple of games.”

England had Rashid to thank with the bat, too. Every time he comes to the crease a commentator will reference his 10 first-class hundreds, but here his team-mates were grateful for his 10 not out. First, he watched Livingstone hammer Ravi Bishnoi’s final over for three sixes, then, when Livingstone fell seeking another off Hardik Pandya, Rashid got to work with Mark Wood.

They shared 24 from 18 balls, equalling England’s record 10th wicket partnership in T20 internationals, giving them something to bowl at. Buttler, happy to lose the toss on a pitch that deteriorated, thought it “a really good score”.

There had, though, been a major blip in the middle, at the hands – or wrist of Chakravarthy. Ben Duckett, who at once stage hit five successive balls for four, had given England a much better start, which was possibly helped by India replacing the excellent Arshdeep Singh with the fit-again Mohammed Shami. Duckett shared 67 with Buttler, who because Chakravarthy’s first wicket, caught behind on review trying to reverse-sweep. Duckett was caught in the deep off Axar Patel, and Harry Brook was again bowled by a wrong’un, although this time it belonged to Bishnoi, not Chakravarthy.

In his final 10 balls, Chakravarthy picked up four wickets. As he did in Chennai, Jamie Smith smashed a six, then fell trying to do the same. Bizarrely, Smith came into the game with a calf injury, so England handed him the wicketkeeping gloves (to limit his movement in the outfield). Four overs into India’s chase, Smith was leaving the field as a precaution, with Phil Salt once again taking over as keeper.

A ball after Smith fell, Jamie Overton was bowled round his legs by Chakravarthy, before Brydon Carse and Archer were easy pickings for the classy leggie. He has 10 wickets in the series, at 23 at an average of 11 since returning to the Indian side last year. Some England batsmen cannot pick him, others just cannot play him.

“I just love the way the guys played,” reflected an upbeat Buttler. “We have to actually get comfortable with losing wickets. At times we are going to get out trying to push the score on, taking on boundary options. Credit to him, he [Chakravarthy] bowled beautifully tonight. We are getting better and better each game.”

The bowlers had so nearly threatened to bail the batsmen out in Chennai, where England lost by two wickets, and they did the job here. England’s batting order looks too shallow, especially having Overton – a fine buffer of pace at the death on the franchise circuit – ambling out at No 7 to face world-class spin.

But the trade-off is that it gives them four frontline seamers. Each of them, and especially Overton, cleverly varied their pace and lengths, supporting Rashid in manufacturing a very fine win that had looked a distant possibility.

05:34 PM GMT

The last two matches of the series

Are at Pune at 1.30pm on Friday, Jan 31 and at 1.30pm at Mumbai on Sunday, Feb 2. We will be here and hope you will join us.

05:28 PM GMT

And finally: Jos Buttler speaks to Harsha Bhogle

The guys bowled really well, nice to show off their skills not just how fast they bowl but how they adapt to the wicket. Adil is the most important player in our team, and he was fantastic tonight, so many variations, so many different styles of bowling, we’re so fortunate to have him in our team.

Jofra, I don’t need to talk much to him – he’s a superstar, incredibly consistent, if he goes for 60 [in the match before] you know he’ll come back well. [Ben Duckett] is a difficult guy to stop with only two guys out, that’s why we felt he can do a job for us at the top. He played beautifully on what was a little bit of a sticky pitch.

You could look at it and say you’re disappointed that we lost wickets in clumps but I thought 170 was a very good score. [Collapsing to] 127 for eight doesn’t bother me, if they say you can be disappointed with the way you play and score 170, I’ll take that.

05:05 PM GMT

Adil Rashid speaks to Ravi Shastri

Bowled exceptionally well as a unit, that ball spun, gripped and spun through the gate. As you play more, get more experience, you start developing certain things, like bowling slower and bowling quicker. My strengths is to mix things up and the last couple of games have gone my way. It looked fairly slow and low when we were batting. Had to adjust as a bowling unit to see if pace on or pace off worked. I think we did both well. Me and Woody had a couple of overs [with the bat] and we had to work out what the plan was. We managed to get another 20 [in fact it was 24, which proved crucial] and got the result.

04:58 PM GMT

OVER 20: IND 146/9 (Chakravarthy 5 Bishnoi 0)

England win by 26 runs and keep their hopes alive in the series at 2-1 now as they head to Pune and Mumbai for the last two games on Friday and Sunday.

04:56 PM GMT

Wicket!

Jurel c Salt b Carse 2  Walks across to try to scoop and splices it straight up the chimney.  FOW 140/9

04:55 PM GMT

OVER 19: IND 140/8 (Jurel 2 Bishnoi 0)

Mohammed Shami gives the crowd a chance to blow away the disappointment by backing away to the onside and swatting a six. But the respite only lasts a couple of balls before Overton wraps up his day’s work with 4-0-23-3. Well bowled.

04:53 PM GMT

Wicket!

Shami c Brook b Overton 7  Overton has observed him backing away once too often and angles it in to him and he chips it off the toe to long-on.  FOW 140/8

04:49 PM GMT

Wicket!

Pandya c Buttler b Overton 40 Hardik has been shuffling as deep in his crease as he dare to try to find some elevation when England go full and quick. But this one is full and a well-disguised slower one and he is through the stroke too quickly and cloths it long off. FOW 133/7

That has to be the game for England, with Hardik gone and 41 required from 11. It’s been a magnificent display with the ball and in the field. Superb catching, turning Indian twos into ones and ones into dots.

04:48 PM GMT

OVER 18: IND 131/6 (Pandya 40 Jurel 1)

After Axar departed, Jurel scuffs a pull for a single. Archer goes for the yorker again and this time Hardik manages to use all that bottom-hand strength to get under it and lever it over long off for six!

Archer ends his stint with 4-0-33-1

India need 41 off 12.

04:44 PM GMT

Wicket!

Axar c Rashid b Archer 15  Archer tried the yorker but it didn’t pitch and Axar crouched to try to slash the low full toss for six but chopped it straight to short third. A well-placed fielder.  FOW 123/6

04:44 PM GMT

OVER 17: IND 122/5 (Pandya 32 Axar 15)

Hardik Pandya decides that this is the over that has to go, he can’t wait for the 19th as usual. And he does inflict some damage by flicking a good length ball at 92mph over midwicket for six. But Wood fights back with his tight line and punishing speed, even trying a rare slower ball, cutting the ball into the surface to concede only three off the next four.

But Axara nails a drive off the final ball and though Buttler races around the fence at long off to his right and dives to stop it his momentum takes him into the foam pyramids, ‘boundary skirting’ as the Indian commentators call it, and hence was signalled as four.

04:38 PM GMT

OVER 16: IND 108/5 (Pandya 23 Axar 11)

Brydon Carse replaces Rashid and again is bowling relentlessly straight. Axar tickles a single off leg stump and, after a dot ball and a leg bye, Axar runs down to try to make some room but is beaten for pace. Two more singles, dug out of the blockhole to cover and pulled off the off-cutter to midwicket precede a much-needed boundary as Axar threshes his bat through the line horizontally to bisect the midwicket sweeper and long on.

India need 64 off 24.

04:32 PM GMT

OVER 15: IND 100/5 (Pandya 22 Axar 3)

Pandya hunkers deep in his crease to get under Overton’s yorker and chip it hard over the bowler’s head for four, the first boundary for more than seven overs. He whisks a single through square leg, Axar slices a drive over cover for one and then Hardik pulls the cutter for two at deep midwicket. They end the over with a single each, leaving them 72 to get from 30 orn14.40 an over in old money.

Jamie Overton looks out of his depth with the bat, but is bringing balance to this team. They have been two superb overs in the middle that, taking one for five from his first two overs, and giving Jos Buttler flexibility with his options from here.

04:29 PM GMT

OVER 14: IND 90/5 (Pandya 14 Axar 3)

Nope, I’m a dope. Rashid is going to bowl out. Axar works a single off his pads, Pandya pans a drag down to cover for only a single and then works another through long on either side of Axar’s squirty one through midwicket off an inside edge. After his 4-0-14-1 at Chennai, today he ends with 4-0-15-1.

04:28 PM GMT

NOT OUT

It turned too much and was missing leg stump.

04:27 PM GMT

ENG review

Axar lbw b Rashid  Well, he’s convinced, having pinned the left-hander with a leg-break

04:24 PM GMT

OVER 13: IND 86/5 (Pandya 12 Axar 1)

England’s pace bowlers have been very good with their line, giving them no width to work with at all most of the time. Especially Overton who hoards five valuable dot balls in that over leaving, in the words of, I think, Harsha Bhogle, India marooned.

India need 86 off 42.

04:22 PM GMT

NOT OUT

The umpire was right, it was missing leg stump.

04:22 PM GMT

ENG review

Pandya lbw b Overton  Going down and missing leg, I think.

04:17 PM GMT

Wicket!

Sundar c Buttler b Overton 6  Full but took the pace off by sliding his fingers down one half of the ball and the left-hander is through with the shot too soon and loses his bottom hand grip, popping it up high to mid-off.  FOW 85/5

04:17 PM GMT

OVER 12: IND 85/4 (Pandya 12 Sundar 6)

The ridiculous thing is that India’s spinners barely turn the ball, it’s all about drift, bounce and deception with a skiddy googly and yet England are tied in knots by them. Rashid is turning it square along with all the variations in pace, flight and dip.

The umpires check a stumping when Sundar misses one he tried to sweep but his foot was well behind the line. India take three singles and Rashid, who will likely be taken off to keep one over up his sleeve, has 3-0-11-1.

Mexican wave goes round as Adil Rashid wheels away. This is a magic spell that is putting England in the driver’s seat.

04:13 PM GMT

OVER 11: IND 82/4 (Pandya 11 Sundar 4)

Jos Buttler turns to his old Taunton mucker Jamie Overton, though both have long flown the coop, to Old Trafford and The Oval respectively. Nice mixture in his first five deliveries of short and quick, the odd cutter and yorker and they can only glean four singles, two of them behind point, one fiddled down to long leg and the last chiselled out to mid-off.

04:08 PM GMT

OVER 10: IND 78/4 (Pandya 9 Sundar 2)

Rashid tosses one up to Sundar whose eyes light up and targets long-off but spoons it just short of Overton running on from the rope. He nips one through the gate of the left-hander and the ball vaults the stumps via the back thigh and races away for four leg-byes. Rashid appealed and pondered a review but given where the ball ended up, it was always going to be too high. Only two singles off the other five deliveries.

Time for drinks.

Adil Rashid
Adil Rashid takes the wicket of Tilak Varma - AP Photo/Ajit Solanki

04:03 PM GMT

OVER 9: IND 72/4 (Pandya 8 Sundar 1)

Good, tight over from Carse, four off it. India need 100 off 66.

04:01 PM GMT

OVER 8: IND 68/4 (Pandya 5 Sundar 0)

Rashid bowled cannily in Chennai, having the courage to bowl as slowly as he has ever done. And here he is now, tempting with drift and dip... and turn. And, after being knocked round for singles, Rashid diddles Tilak with an absolute ripper.

Are England in this? We thought that in Chennai, and it became quite the nipper. This time they have got the top four with more than 100 still required. Major work to do, but an opening.

03:57 PM GMT

Wicket!

Tilak b Rashid 18 Sensational. Big turning leg-break gates the left-hander who was done in the flight and by the turn. I have said it before but it bears repeating, Adil is a diamond. FOW 68/4

03:55 PM GMT

OVER 7: IND 62/3 (Tilak 14 Pandya 3)

Livingstone is the first choice for spin, given India have a right-hander and a left in. He will bowl leggies to Pandya and off-breaks to Tilak. After they push the ball into gaps for a couple of singles, Tilak uses his feet to crunch a drive over mid-off for six. Having banked that big return and with a mature eye on the wickets colum he eschews risk and takes two more singles off the over sandwiching Pandya’s blistering cut that is well stopped on the boundary by Duckett.

03:51 PM GMT

OVER 6: IND 51/3 (Tilak 5 Pandya 2)

Very good powerplay for England to take the wickets of both openers and the No 3. Tilak is the danger man. India require 121 off 84.

03:45 PM GMT

Wicket!

Suryakumar c Salt b Wood 14 Well, well, well. Undone by pace, Suryakumar top-edges a pull that, Jimi Hendrix-style, kisses the sky. Salt makes great ground to cling on. My that went high. FOW 49/3

03:45 PM GMT

OVER 5: IND 48/2 (Suryakumar 14 Tilak 4)

Suryakumar attacks Archer’s first ball with the stroke that made his name, a stooping flick over his shoulder for six. Archer had taken the pace off and does so again for a bouncer two balls later and Suryakumar waits for it and swats it over point for four. he’s not been in nick lately but looks in fine fettle today.

03:41 PM GMT

OVER 4: IND 35/2 (Suryakumar 1 Tilak 4)

Brydon Carse replaces his Durham team-mate Wood and strikes with his fourth ball after Abhishek slashed a drive off the outside edge over third man for four and then paned the full toss that was supposed to be a yorker through cover for another.

After the opener departed, Jamie Smith signalled that he couldn’t carry on keeping wicket because of his calf strain and Phil Salt has to run off to get padded up. Bethell is on for Smith,

Tilak, who was fabulous in Chennai, uses his feet to smack Carse’s last ball over extra-cover for four.

That is a genuinely brilliant catch from Archer. It sailed so high, and he had to run a long distance and watch it swirl.

03:35 PM GMT

Wicket

Abhishek c Archer b Carse 24 Terrific running catch to snaffle a swirling steepler at mid-on after Carse, having been hit for a pair of fours, took the pace off with an off-cutter banged in back of a length as the batsman charged him. FOW 31/2

03:34 PM GMT

OVER 3: IND 23/1 (Abhishek 16 Suryakumar 1)

Samson takes a step to leg and back to try to free his arms but the ball skidded on to him too quickly. Suryakumar gets off the mark with a late cut down to third man and Abhishek is on strike to face a wide then hits England’s alpha quick bowler over extra-cover for four by making room with a step to leg again.

03:28 PM GMT

Wicket!

Samson c Rashid b Archer 4  Is out on the pull again... Archer gives him the hurry up with a short one that cramps him but he takes it on anyway and flaps it to mid-on where Rashid takes three steps back to pouch it.  FOW 16/1 

03:28 PM GMT

OVER 2: IND 15/0 (Samson 3 Abhishek 10)

Wood starts by spraying a short one too far across Samson and the umpire signals wide. Samson works the first legitimate ball of the over through midwicket for a single.

Wood stays over the wicket to the left-handed Abhishek and tries to swing one into him but he pushes it out too wide and the batsman slices a one-handed drive over cover for four.

Ninety-three miles an hour is no problem for Abhishek who carts a waist-high short ball cross-batted over mid-on for a one-bounce four. Wood goes round the wicket and full and the left-hander slices another drive over point this time that lands 10m short of the sweeper running in.

03:21 PM GMT

OVER 1: IND 3/0 (Samson 2 Abhishek 1)

England think Samson doesn’t like it up him and Archer angles a short ball into his ribs that he flaps away down to long leg for a single. Abhishek on the charge always also retreats to leg so Archer targets the stumps and racks up three dot balls as he hits 90mph. Abhishek gets off the mark with a legside flick as Archer angles it into the left-hander from round the wicket and Samson ends with with another pull off his ribcage.

03:16 PM GMT

The players are back out

And Jofra Archer has the new pill.

03:10 PM GMT

Halfway verdict

Groundhog day for England, struggling against spin. After a positive start to the innings – helped by India resting Arshdeep – it was rinse, repeat from the halfway stage.

They made their highest score of the tour in the end, thanks to more tail-end scrambling (including their equal-highest 10th wicket partnership in T20s) helping them to 171 for nine. But this looks a 200 surface, and they had the platform to get there.

There were some familiar failings, with Brook again bowled by a wrong’un, and Smith caught on the fence the ball after hitting a six. Big improvements from Duckett and Livingstone, but the former could not kick on, and the latter was left with little choice but to slog.

There is just no art to England’s batting, as evidenced by Overton’s groping. He is a powerful player who can bash pace at the death in franchise cricket, but is simply too high in the order at No 7. He will have a job to do with the ball now, as India’s four seamers look to respond to India’s three excellent spinners.

03:08 PM GMT

India need 172 to win and take the series

England are about 50 short of where they seemed to be heading and 30 short of a competitive total. Their only hope is their bowlers who have done OK. The balance of the side seems all wrong. Bethell for Overton would make sense.

03:06 PM GMT

OVER 20: ENG 171/9 (Rashid 10 Wood 10)

England’s Nos 10 and 11 slap Pandya through the offside for three singles as he bangs the ball in, then Rashid swats a high-bouncing short ball from outside off through mid-on for another.

Two balls to come.

Wood walks across his stumps to work a single through midwicket. And, having missed the last ball as he tried to ramp it, they run through for a bye. It’s called wide. Wood then will have another hit and slugs a short one dwn to long on and makes it home for two, but wears the shy at the stumps on his body.

02:59 PM GMT

OVER 19: ENG 162/9 (Rashid 8 Wood 5)

Rashid opens the face to run Shami off the red Gray Nicolls stripe for four then whisks a single through midwicket. Shami’s yorker slips out of his hand and turns into high full toss that adds a bye to the no-ball penalty. Rashid, pinned by the short one as he tried to pull, pats another short one through square leg for a single.

Wood slaps two off the back foot through cover and drives for a single.

02:56 PM GMT

OVER 18: ENG 151/9 (Rashid 2 Wood 2)

They keep making the same mistakes. Not so much Livingstone there who had to chance his arm, but the rest of them. And Surya, mixing up his bowlers in one-over spells, has played with England’s minds.

‘If you can’t pick Chakravarthy, play him as a googly bowler not a lg-spinner,’ said Harsha Bhogle. ‘They can’t pick him that’s why they’re sweeping,’ cackles Sunil Gavaskar.

Rashid fillets a pair of singles through point and Wood follows suit as Pandya sticks to the short stuff, pace on, pace off.

02:51 PM GMT

Wicket!

Livingstone c Jurel b Pandya 43 The camera pans to Jos Buttler. Captain, your ship is sinking. Livingstone holes out to long on, losing his grip. FOW 147/9

02:50 PM GMT

OVER 17: ENG 146/8 (Livingstone 43 Rashid 0)

Liam Livingstone tries to salvage England by slog sweeping the first two balls for six. There’s no turn for Bishnoi on a road of a pitch so he gets his pad outside the line and collars the ball.

Bishnoi goes shorter and Livingstone turns down the single but crouches deep to the next one, which is again short, and pulls it over backward square for his third six of the over. It goes miles. Livingstone takes the single off the next ball, chopping a cut for one in front of square off the back foot.

Rashid defends the last, told by Livingstone that his partner will take as many balls as possible from here.

Varun Chakravarthy finishes with a five-wicket haul. Five for 24. Magic bowling, but truly clueless from England.

02:45 PM GMT

OVER 16: ENG 127/8 (Livingstone 24 Rashid 0)

Varun Chakravarthy has had England on toast in three successive games. Today he ends with 4-0-24-5. He’s got a spell on you...

02:43 PM GMT

Wicket!

Archer b Chakravarthy 0  Castled by the googly for a second-ball googly.  FOW 127/8

02:41 PM GMT

Wicket!

Carse c Tilak b Chakravarthy 3 Top edges a slog sweep and fails to clear the longest boundary at midwicket. FOW 127/7

02:41 PM GMT

OVER 15: ENG 123/6 (Livingstone 21 Carse 2)

Livingstone is struck amidships as he tries to slog sweep. India appeal but it was outside off stump when it hit him as Bishnoi tried to hide the ball. He connects with the next one, though, sending it over midwicket for six! But with a single and four dot balls in the over, Bishnoi will be pleased.

England look a long way from a defendable score.

02:36 PM GMT

OVER 14: ENG 116/6 (Livingstone 15 Carse 1)

An eventful over to say the least. Smith plays a glorious shot over long on for six then mistimes his pull off a drag-down. Overton is in too early again and is out first ball sweeping, baffled by the googly. The ball kissed the glove and knocked back leg stump.

Off the last five overs England are 33 for four. Same old story.

02:34 PM GMT

Wicket!

Overton b Chakravarthy 0 Bowled round his legs by the googly for a golden duck. Chakravarthy is on a hat-trick. It’s pear-shaped now. FOW 115/6

02:31 PM GMT

Wicket!

Smith c Jurel b Chakravarthy 6  Mistimed his swipe at a long hop and carted it straight down the midwicket sweeper’s throat.  FOW 115/5

02:31 PM GMT

OVER 13: ENG 108/4 (Livingstone 14 Smith 0)

Bishnoi sees Brook coming and darts in his googly but he manages to get his bat down and squeeze it for a single through midwicket. Livingstone uses his feet to work four over midwicket but Brook, browbeaten by the leg-spinners all series, loses his stumps when trying to fetch a wide, full one.

Smith gets a life first ball when Samson drops an inside edge as England’s keeper-batsman misread the flight and turn of the wrong ’un.

Just like that, England are in big trouble. Has Livingstone got the maturity to guide them through? Still two overs of wrist-spin to get through after this one.

02:27 PM GMT

Wicket!

Brook b Bishnoi 8 Drags it in from outside off while sweeping. FOW 108/4

02:25 PM GMT

OVER 12: ENG 101/3 (Brook 7 Livingstone 9)

Livingstone plays a remarkable stroke by dancing down to Axar and smacks it 85m over long on for a towering six. They work him around for a couple of singles and a Brook’s hard run twp for a midwicket flick but Azar ends the over by ragging one past Livingstone’s edge.

02:22 PM GMT

OVER 11: ENG 91/3 (Brook 4 Livingstone 2)

Sutyakumar slips in an over Abhishek’s left-arm orthodox spin against the two new batsmen and gives up only fouur runs as India’s battery of spinners turn the screw. Only Duckett has found any fluency.

02:19 PM GMT

OVER 10: ENG 87/3 (Brook 2 Livingstone 0)

Fabulous over from Axar Patel who frustrated England with subtle changes of pace, flight and dip and the slower one diddle Duckett.

Time for drinks.

02:16 PM GMT

Wicket!

Duckett c Abhishek b Axar 51  India put the squeeze on with a dot ball and four singles only conceded and Duckett takes a risk but picks out wide long on.  FOW 87/3

02:16 PM GMT

OVER 9: ENG 83/2 (Duckett 49 Brook 0)

Sunil Gavaskar thinks England should be aiming for 230 with the way they are batting. Duckett uses his feet to loft a four over mid-off, then goes again up and over cover but the ball plugs before the boundary and they run two. After cuffing a single through midwicket, Buttler is on strike and is out on review and, as Kevin Pietersen said on the commentary during the long wait for UltraEdge, ‘Buttle looks guilty’.

The Indians had given up on that review, all walking back to their fielding positions! But Buttler has to go. Still it’s been a much better start by England. There’s a platform to build on this time.

02:12 PM GMT

Wicket!

Buttler c Samson b Chakravarthy 20 It wasn’t the glove but a bottom edge up by the maker’s name. Smart take by the keeper with Buttler’s bat a blur in front of him. FOW 83/2

02:10 PM GMT

IND review

Buttler c Samson b Chakravarthy  Only the keeper appealed for a glove when the England captain was reverse sweeping. It’s close...

02:08 PM GMT

OVER 8: ENG 74/1 (Duckett 42 Buttler 23)

Suryakumar whips Chakravarthy out of the attack to stop England lining him up after that first-over sighter. Axar with his height and variations of pace replaces him. The left-arm spinner is taken for five singles and sneaks one under Buttler’s sweep but it scuttles past the stumps and burrows beneath Samson’s dive to run down for four byes.

Duckett
Duckett ramps Shami for six - Michael Steele/Getty Images

02:03 PM GMT

OVER 7: ENG 65/1 (Duckett 40 Buttler 20)

After two singles off the first three balls of Bishnoi’s opening over, Buttler reverse sweeps hard for four to bring up the fifty partnership and then channels Petula Clark.’ Don’t hang around and let your problems surround you, there are movie shows, down town.’ The ball sails over wide long on for six. Excellent shot.

02:00 PM GMT

OVER 6: ENG 52/1 (Duckett 39 Buttler 8)

Varun Chakravarthy – who is rendered ‘Vinod’ on our pedantic scoreboard using his semi-redundant third name – puts the brakes on, yielding merely three singles as England’s inability to score off leg-spin continues. Duly noted by Suryakumar, he brings on his other leggie, Bishnoit, at the other end.

01:56 PM GMT

OVER 5: ENG 49/1 (Duckett 38 Buttler 6)

If Salt is in poor nick, Duckett shows that the first two matches were deceptive. He wasn’t in bad form... he just got out cheaply. He greets Washington Sundar with a cover-driven four, reverse sweeps the next for four more and then skips down to smash a six over long-on. Sundar persuades the captain to review his leg-before shout despite Samson not looking at all convinced and they end up burning it.

01:53 PM GMT

IND review

Duckett lbw b Sundar Missing leg, surely? Sorry, hit him outside the line of off-stump as he was reversing his stroke. Anyway. It was missing and NOT OUT.

01:52 PM GMT

OVER 4: ENG 34/1 (Duckett 24 Buttler 5)

Hardik Pandya keeps frustrating Buttler with his changes of pace. Having been beaten by the first slower one he takes a very tight single, just beating the throw. Then Duckett slips when trying to persuade Buttler to take another very tight one but manages to get home.

Duckett then tucks in, pulling Pandya’s pace-on bouncer hard in front of square for four, then dumps the next short one over cover, flat-batting it, before picking a fuller one and flicking it over midwicket to make it a hat-trick.

01:46 PM GMT

OVER 3: ENG 21/1 (Duckett 12 Buttler 4)

Shami may have nicked Buttler off there but given Samson dropped it behind the stumps they don’t waste time on snicko to confirm. Would have been a feather at most. Buttler shovels a drive off the toe over mid-off for two then drills a single past the bowler’s dive.

Shami is bowling full which invites Duckett to play one of his 360 shots and he waits until the last ball of the over to ramp him high over his shoulder for six.

01:42 PM GMT

OVER 2: ENG 12/1 (Duckett 6 Buttler 1)

Pandya, India’s all-rounder, shares new-ball honours and starts with a cutter that Duckett slaps off the back foot for a single down to the cover sweeper. Pandya then startles Salt with a vicious bouncer that targets his shoulder and keeps climbing at [ace so he has to jerk his head out of the way. It was the opening salvo of a two-card trick because he takes the pace off the next one and Salt spoons it to cover.

He treats Buttler to two slower balls, the second of which the batsman waits for a punches to cover for a single. Duckett beats the man at deep backward square with a leg-glance for his first boundary.

01:37 PM GMT

Wicket!

Salt c Abhishek b Pandya 5 Caught at cover, Salt not quite to the pitch, flashing his hands through the line, slightly leaning back. FOW 7/1

Phil Salt makes it through the first over this time, but not the second. He drills to cover. He’s not keeping tonight, because apparently Jamie Smith has a tight calf, so they don’t want him haring around in the outfield.

01:34 PM GMT

OVER 1: ENG 6/0 (Salt 5 Duckett 1)

Shami skids a full ball through on off stump that bounces again before it reaches the keeper. It’s a road. We can tell that already, And though Salt played and missed at that one, he threw his hands at the next and without middling it he thrashed it down the ground for four.

Slat finds the infield with his next tow shots, a flick all along the ground to midwicket and a punch to cover but picks a gap with a leg-glance for a single. The slip, sent packing after the first ball, is back for Duckett. Shami comes round the wicket and angles it on to middle. Duckett closes his wrists to cuff a single through midwicket.

01:30 PM GMT

Mohammed Shami has the ball

And Phil Salt is on strike.

01:26 PM GMT

Phil Salt’s stats

Yes, he has struggled so far but he has three T20i centuries, four fifties and averages 35 at a strike rate of 165 over 41 matches. that’s why England will stand by him.

01:06 PM GMT

One change for England after all

Not in personnel but Jamie Smith takes the gloves from Phil Salt because of Smith’s tight calf, apparently.

01:06 PM GMT

Jos Buttler speaks to Ravi Shastri

We would have chased but it’s a really good wicket and we’re really excited for the match and to bat. We need to be at our best this evening. We know how India will play and we need to put enough runs on the board.

01:04 PM GMT

India make one change

Shami replaces Arshdeep. Confounding predictions, there is no Shivam Dube.

India Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Dhruv Jurel  Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar,  Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy.

01:02 PM GMT

India have won the toss... again

And guess what? Yes, they’ve put England in to bat again.

12:52 PM GMT

At long, long last?

Some excitement among local media as Mohammed Shami marks his run up. Could he be coming in for the first time since the 2023 World Cup? If he did, it would likely be for a spinner (Bishnoi, at a guess), which might be a relief for England.

Mohammed Shami bowls
Shami wins his battle of wounded knee with bandage to show for it - DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images

12:50 PM GMT

England name unchanged side

England  Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (capt), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

12:48 PM GMT

Dispatch from dusty Rajkot

Good evening from Rajkot, where the sun is well on its way to setting and the teams are beginning their warm ups. It’s been hot here, and as dusty as usual. The pitch, with all the usual caveats about 100m away, looks flat – and it certainly was the last time there was a T20i here two years ago. India battered 228 for five against Sri Lanka with Suryakumar Yadav, their captain tonight, making 112 from 51 balls. Handy.

This is my second visit to Rajkot in under a year. England’s Test here last year was extraordinary, and in the rubble of a very heavy defeat two players in their XI today put in fine performances: Ben Duckett made an England overseas hundred for the ages, and Mark Wood bowled with pace and heart. Of course, the abiding memory of that game will always be Joe Root’s ill-advised reverse ramp...

I’m sitting in the press box, which famously apes the Lord’s media centre (which, as of yesterday, is sponsored by Barclays, apparently). The food at Lord’s for the media is pretty special, but it might not top what we get here. It’s all wonderful local food, veggie as we are in meat-free Gujarat), with great daals and paneer especially. Time for me to indulge, I reckon...

Joe Root's reverse ramp
An unwelcome flashback to Rajkot 2024… - REUTERS/Amit Dave

12:37 PM GMT

Preview: Cornered tiger time

Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the third T20 of England’s white-ball tour of India. Once more unto the breach for Brendon McCullum’s cavaliers, now 2-0 down after defeats in Kolkata and Chennai, the first a drubbing, the second tighter though ultimately settled by England’s top-order failures, captain Jos Buttler apart, for the second match running. In keeping with his policy of consistency throughout a series, backing his selections to the hilt until the point he doesn’t, as Alex Lees, Ollie Robinson, Jonny Bairstow and Jimmy Anderson all found out, England have named an unchanged side. The thinking, it seems, is that it’s a sound decision in principle of having Jamie Overton come in at No 7 and now, in practice, it;s down to Messrs Salt, Duckett, Buttler, Brook, Livingstone and Smith to hang about a bit and stop him having to come in so early.

To do that, the openers will have to play the quicks better and Brook and Livingstone will have to work out how to counter Varun Chakravarthy;s sharp googly and Axar Patel’s bounce. Picking them would be a good start and they have now had two matches to discern some clues. The worrying thing about Brook is that his wonderful unbeaten hundred for Sunrisers Hyderabad against KKR in April 2023 apart, in 12 other T20 innings in India his highest score is 27 and he has averaged, minus the century, 10.9 with three ducks. He is too good a player for that but unless he gets weaving that £580,000 contract to play for Delhi Capitals in this year’s IPL will be his last big franchise payday for a while.

India’s irregulars – Abhishek Sharma at Eden Gardens, Tilak Varma at the Chepauk – have fought had for their spoils, outshining the biggest hitters in terms of IPL clout, at least, Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya. Shivam Dube, the fast-bowling all-rounder, is expected to return at No 6 today, bolstered by those 14 T20 fifties and strike rate of 142.

Can England make like cornered tigers at 2-0 down? In the five T20Is in Rajkot there have been four totals of 196 or more. Should they lose the toss for a third time and be put in it will be a tall order unless their batting finally clicks. They would have to make 200 to be competitive, something they have managed only twice in 12 matches when they batted first in the past two years.