RAJKOT, India (Reuters) – England secured a 26-run victory over India in the third T20 International on Tuesday as some sprightly bowling kept the tourists alive in the five-match series against the world champions.
Put into bat, England posted a modest 171-9 with Ben Duckett (51) and Liam Livingstone (43) providing major contributions.
India spinner Varun Chakravarthy claimed 5-24 but the English bowlers made their own mark and restricted their hosts to 145-9 to deny India an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
Beaten comprehensively in Kolkata and narrowly in Chennai, England had to win at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in what is their first series under Brendon McCullum as their white-ball coach.
India seamer Hardik Pandya dismissed Phil Salt in his first over but Duckett and England captain Jos Buttler (24) propped up England with a 76-run stand.
An in-form Chakravarthy continued to torment the England batters and dismissed Buttler caught behind to trigger a batting collapse.
Buttler was initially adjudged not out but wicketkeeper Sanju Samson convinced India captain Suryakumar Yadav to review the decision, which was overturned after replays confirmed the batter had gloved the ball.
Duckett raced to a 26-ball fifty but fell soon after to Axar Patel’s left-arm spin.
Chakravarthy dismissed Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton with successive deliveries but a hat-trick eluded him.
Realising he was running out of partners, Livingstone counter-attacked hitting spinner Ravi Bishnoi for three sixes in an over.
For India, seamer Mohammed Shami conceded 25 runs in his three tidy, though wicketless, overs on his return to international cricket after a year on the sidelines with an ankle injury.
Jofra Archer (2-33) dismissed Samson in his second over and then took a tumbling catch to remove the other India opener Abhishek Sharma, who made 24 and was looking dangerous.
Mark Wood got rid of Suryakumar and Adil Rashid sent back Tilak Varma to put England in charge.
Pandya kept India’s hopes alive with a defiant 40 but his dismissal in the 19th over effectively sealed the match in England’s favour.
The teams move to Pune for the penultimate T20 on Friday.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Toby Davis)
