England’s chase falls short despite strong contributions from Jason Roy and Ben Stokes as Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur lead India’s attack; for the first time in the series a winning side bats first and sets up a decision, live on Sky Sports Cricket Saturday
Last updated: 18/03/21 6:21 pm
Suryakumar Yadav from India picks up his baton and chews Rishabh Pant’s teammate after reaching half a century
Suryakumar Yadav’s half-eye in his international position saved the way for India’s eight-run win over England in the fourth T20, in Ahmedabad.
Suryakumar marked his second cap with an impressive 31-ball innings that lifted along with contributions from Shreyas Iyer (37) and Rishabh Pant (30) of India to 185-8 despite a 4-33 best in the post from archer soon Jofra Archer.
England beat hard with Jason Roy (40 off 27) and Ben Stokes (46 out 23) leading in 177-8 overall just for the Indian attack – led by Hardik Pandya (2-16) and Shardul Thakur (3-42) – to earn the first win with a side hitting first in four games despite heavy dew.
It means that the series will now be decided on Saturday, when the teams will compete against the fifth and final T20 at Narendra Modi Stadium – a game you can watch live on Sky Sports Cricket from 1pm.
England’s Jofra Archer made four wikis for the first time in a Twenty20 international
England seemed to have an early win unchanged when captain Eoin Morgan put India into a bat but Rohit Sharma’s response was to hit the first member of the tournament – the googly Adil Rashid – for six over a long period of time, the opener passes 9,000 T20 runs in the same over.
It was Suryakumar who lit the friction paper, however, after Rohit (12) returned a slower bow ball to the fast bowler.
The 30-year-old came in at three ahead of Virat Kohli and immediately showed his goal of achieving a strike rate of 140.10 in 171 T20 matches by pulling the first ball. in international cricket for six, with his main leg in the air.
Suryakumar Yadav did not get the chance to bat on his first international tour, in the second T20
High views kept them flowing, the best of them six off Rashid in seventh place when Suryakumar hit an inside against the spin.
The 30-year-old captain joined his skipper when KL Rahul caught a slower ball from Stokes to midfield – 14 of the opener’s 17-ball opener a slight improvement on previous scores of one, nine and nine.
England’s Adil Rashid celebrates the dismissal of India captain Virat Kohli for just one
This time it was Kohli ‘s turn to fall free as he came down the path only to lose his form and be stumped for once from Rashid googly – India 70-3 at that time.
Suryakumar reached his half-century off just 28 balls with a crooked cut for four off Rashid and his stroke continued as he swept Sam Curran’s first ball.
He tried to put the stroke back from the next delivery but this time Dawid Malan couldn’t clear, who just got his hands under the ball – Suryakumar handed out after a four-minute delay in which he failed. TV umpire Virender Sharma can find conclusive evidence to the contrary.
Rishabh Pant delivered a much-needed move in partnership with Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas was quick to work with two fours off his first four balls and Pant matched his attack, taking a brutal four off Chris Jordan without moving his legs one vote.
The pair put on 30 off three pits before Pant lost his middle stump to Archer but Shreyas pushed him, pumping Jordan for six over the covers, before falling to a good catch from Stokes in the covers.
England dropped 57 runs off the last four pitches but picked up four wickets in the process including two in Archer’s final.
India immediately put the strain on him at the start of England’s run – Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed Jos Buttler’s valuable wicket (nine) with a cutter who found the very front.
England’s Ben Stokes (46) has yet to record half a century in T20 international cricket
Roy handed the case on a start to lift England to 48-1 at the end of a power-up in which Malan was let down by three with Shardul Thakur at third short.
The rebound was short-lived as Malan (14) lost his leg stump to Rahul Chahar trying to sweep back and when Roy fell in the next round, deceiving Hardik Pandya, England were 66 -3.
After 11 overs England were neck and neck with India 79-3 and the tourists matched India’s acceleration as did Stokes and Jonny Bairstow (25 off 19), in his 50th T20, dividing stand 65 run off 36 balls.
The visitors needed 54 off the last 30 balls with Morgan new to the wicket after Bairstow failed to launch Chahar over the inside field and 46 were still needed when Stokes pulled out. far off, off Thakur – the now round player without fifty into 33 matches.
Morgan (four) moved out to a deep point where the next ball from which England ran ran to the point where they needed 23 off the final.
With Kohli off the field, the Rohit stand-in captain watched him anxiously as Thakur surrendered 10 off two balls to Archer (18no) before bowling two wide but the sailor returned for the See India across the line.
Watch the twenty-fifth and 20 international finals between India and England live on Sky Sports Cricket from 1pm on Saturday.