India secured the five-match T20I series with a hard-fought 15-run victory over England in the fourth T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday. The win gave the Men in Blue an unassailable 3-1 lead, thanks to stellar performances from Harshit Rana and Ravi Bishnoi, who both claimed three wickets each.
Defending a target of 182, India’s bowlers took early control of the game, with Rana replacing concussed all-rounder Shivam Dube for the second innings and making an immediate impact. England had a strong start, as Philip Salt (23 off 21) and Ben Duckett (39 off 19) put on a quick 62-run partnership. However, Ravi Bishnoi provided India with a crucial breakthrough in the sixth over by dismissing Duckett, shifting the momentum in favor of the hosts.
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From there, England struggled to recover as Bishnoi removed captain Jos Buttler for just two runs in the eighth over. Harry Brook was the lone warrior for the visitors, playing a blistering knock of 51 off 26 balls, including five fours and two sixes. His innings gave England hope, but Varun Chakravarthy dismissed him in the 15th over, denting their chase.
Jamie Overton (19 off 15) and Adil Rashid (10* off 6) attempted to stage a late fightback, but the Indian bowlers maintained their dominance. In addition to Rana and Bishnoi’s three-wicket hauls, Chakravarthy took two wickets while Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel chipped in with one each, sealing the win for India.
Earlier in the match, England had put India under early pressure after winning the toss and opting to field first. Saqib Mahmood produced a sensational second over, claiming a triple-wicket maiden by dismissing Sanju Samson (1), Tilak Varma (0), and skipper Suryakumar Yadav (0). It was the first time in men’s T20I history that a bowler took three wickets in his first over of a series.
India’s innings looked in trouble at 12/3, but Abhishek Sharma (29 off 19) and Rinku Singh (30 off 26) steadied the ship with a crucial 45-run stand. Abhishek was removed by Adil Rashid in the eighth over, while Rinku fell in the 11th over.
The turning point came when Hardik Pandya (53 off 30) and Shivam Dube (53 off 34) put up a commanding partnership, both smashing half-centuries to propel India to 181/9. Pandya brought up his fifty in the 18th over, while Dube reached the milestone in the 19th, ensuring India set a competitive total. Ravi Bishnoi remained unbeaten at the end of the innings.
With the series already sealed, India will now look to wrap it up in style when they take on England in the final match at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 2.
“We started brilliantly but lost momentum”: Captain Buttler after England lose 4th T20I against India
England captain Jos Buttler admitted that his side started brilliantly but lost momentum as they fell to a 15-run defeat against India in the fourth T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Buttler praised Shivam Dube for playing good innings. He said that they were in a fantastic position with the bat but lost wickets quickly.
“We started brilliantly, taking lots of wickets in the powerplay. At the end of the batting powerplay we were in a great position and I think we should have gone on to win. [Let it slip?] Disappointing, we did some good things. I dropped a catch and Dube played a really good innings. We were in a fantastic position with the bat, then lost wickets together. [Lessons] We’ve doubled down on how we want to play and I’m really impressed with how we did that. I think we can commit more and then when we do that we’ll get more out of ourselves,” Buttler said.
Brief Score:
- India 181/9 (Shivam Dube 53, Shivam Dube 53, Rinku Singh 30; Saqib Mahmood 3/35)
- England 166 (Harry Brook 51, Ben Duckett 39. Philip Salt 23; Ravi Bishnoi 3/28).
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