India vs England 5th T20I Highlights: The decider was held in Ahmedabad.India vs England 5th T20I Highlights: India sealed the T20I series 3-2 against England on Saturday after beating the visitors by 36 runs in the fifth T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Sent out to bat, Rohit Sharma (64) and Virat Kohli (80*) provided a good start to their innings inside the powerplay. Suryakumar Yadav (32) and Hardik Pandya (39*) pitched in too with vital runs to guide India to a challenging total of 224/2. Chasing, England suffered an early setback with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/15) scalping the wicket of Jason Roy. Dawid Malan (68) and Jos Buttler (52) rallied on and kept the visitors in the mix, but a late show by Kohli’s bowlers restricted Eoin Morgan’s team to 188/8 at the end of 20 overs.
5th T20I, Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad, 20 Mar, 2021
Despite conceding 20 runs in the final over, Shardul comes out as a match-winner for the hosts with his three crucial wickets. He dismissed Jordan in the final over and got hit for two sixes by Sam Curran, but it was all too late for England. The visitors were restricted to 188/8 at the end of their innings... India seal the series 3-2 with a 36-run victory in the decider! Next up, ODIs!
Natarajan finally shines and it's an apt time for him too! He removes the final ray of hope for England as he scalps the wicket of Stokes. The all-rounder goes back on 14 after edging one to Pant. Later, Archer gets run-out! ENG: 168/7 (19 overs)
Despite two fours from Stokes in the last over, the task at hand for England hasn't gotten easier. Bhuvneshwar comes in again and bowls a beauty of an over, conceding just seven runs. The visitors now need 61 runs from 12 balls. ENG: 163/5 (18 overs)
Things go from bad to worse for England! Morgan tries to go big off a slower one but finds substitute fielder KL Rahul at long-on. Pandya bags his first wicket of the night and concedes just two runs off the over. 81 runs off 24 balls now. ENG: 144/5 (16 overs)
India are biting back now! A full and wide delivery from Shardul does the trick as Bairstow falls into the trap and finds Yadav at sweeper cover. Three balls later, Shardul catches the big fish. He bowls out Malan on 68! Game on! ENG: 142/4 (15 overs)
Finally! India have their breakthrough and it's Bhuvneshwar yet again. He finishes off a brilliant over with a wicket on the fifth ball... Buttler looks to slog from off stump but he slices it straight down to Pandya. He walks off on 52. ENG: 130/2 (12.5 overs)
Malan (63*) had kept his special knock reserved for the series decider. A six against Natarajan's opening ball of the over and he brings up his fifty in just 33 balls! Then, he goes berserk and finishes off with yet another six and a four. ENG: 120/1 (11 overs)
The second-wicket partnership brings up the hundred for England and for themselves too. What a partnership it has been for Buttler (47*) and Malan (48*)! When Roy got dismissed early on, none thought that it'd be this easy for them. ENG: 104/1 (10 overs)
England are completely in the driving seat now. Kohli brings in another new bowler, this time it's Rahul Chahar... and the story is still the same. First, Buttler (35*) clears long-on and then he scythes one over extra cover. Two huge maximums! ENG: 82/1 (8 overs)
Kohli seems to be out of ideas right now. He brings on Shardul with the hope of derailing either of the batsman, but both of them go down hard on the pacer. Buttler (23*) hits a six and Malan (33*) follows it up with a four. Next over, Natarajan comes in and he is smacked for a boundary over covers on his second ball itself. At the end of the powerplay, India were 60/0. ENG: 62/1 (6 overs)
When Malan continued his onslaught against Bhuvneshwar, Buttler kept quiet. But not in the next over... Washington comes into the attack and the opener finds his confidence, shimmies down the wicket and hits him for two four. ENG: 41/1 (4 overs)
Malan (17*) comes on and he settles in against Pandya in the second over. After punishing the all-rounder for a four on a slower delivery, the number one T20I batsman absolutely hammers him for a six! He finishes off with another four. ENG: 19/1 (2 overs)
Jason Roy and Jos Buttler open the innings for England. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to restart the proceedings... and what a start! Roy gets clean bowled off a big booming inswinger! Yet another duck for Roy as India continue to dominate. ENG: 0/1 (0.2 overs)
The highlight of that first innings - despite all the mauling by Rohit, Kohli, Surya and Hardik - has to be that piece of work in the field by Jordan which will not even be credited to him. Here's what he did a little earlier.
England to begin their chase of 225 when the match resumes after a 10-minute break.
Archer bowls the 20th over. Kohli manages to find the gap on either side of the wicket to get two fours. Kohli and Hardik run hard as they turn some singles into doubles in the last over. India put up 224/2 in 20 overs, Kohli stays unbeaten on 80, Pandya stays not out on 39. England will need 225 to win the match and the series.
Jordan bowls the 19th over. Hardik Pandya faces. The first ball is flicked - yes, flicked - for six off the bottom edge for six. Second ball - six pulled over midwicket. India cross 200. 'When Hardik hits like that, the fielders don’t matter, you can have 100 of them and he’ll clear it,' says Harsha Bhogle. A 100 English fielders in the same field is a disturbing thought, but not to Hardik at the moment, who threads the ball through for a single after the double whammy.
IND 211/2 after 19
Hardik smashes a forehand off Jordan for a four through covers, the fielders look on at the ball whizzing past them like spectators at Wimbledon. Wood bowls the 18th over, Kohli rocks back and fires a boundary to square leg. Next ball, he comes down the tracks and cracks four more. The Kohli explosion has finally arrived. Strap yourselves in folks!
IND 193/2 after 18
Last 5 overs coming up. Mark Wood bowls the 16th. Kohli gets to his 50 off 36 balls. Hardik Pandya smashes boundaries off the last two balls of the over.
IND 170/2 after 16
Hardik Pandya enters at 4. India are looking to give no quarters in this first innings. Kohli has meanwhile scaled yet another record.
Most runs as captain in T20Is
1463 VIRAT KOHLI
1462 Aaron Finch
1383 Kane Williamson
1321 Eoin Morgan
IND 157/2 after 15
Kohli dances down the pitch and smashes the first ball of Stokes's new over for six down the ground, overtakes Surya's score again. Suryakumar tries to go big once again, but perishes to a fantastic catch at long on. Replays being called in again, but this looks to be a clean catch. Adil Rashid strikes. Surya is out for 32.
IND 143/2 after 13.2