Suryakumar Yadav hails Adil Rashid’s brilliance, highlights Varun Chakravarthy’s hard work after India’s defeat

India captain Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged the impact of England’s Adil Rashid after his match-winning spell helped the visitors secure a 26-run victory in the third T20I in Rajkot. The leg-spinner played a crucial role in restricting India’s chase of 172, making life difficult for the batters and ensuring England stayed in the contest. Despite India’s hopes of pulling off a late win with Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel at the crease, Rashid’s control and tactical brilliance tilted the game in England’s favor.

Suryakumar admitted that the team felt confident when they needed 55 off 24 balls with Hardik and Axar still batting. However, Rashid’s accuracy made strike rotation nearly impossible, building immense pressure on the Indian lower order. “I felt there’d be a little bit of dew. With Hardik-Axar batting and us needing 55 off 24, still felt we had the game in our hands. The credit to Adil Rashid. We wanted to rotate the strike, but he didn’t let us, that’s why he is a world-class bowler,” Suryakumar said during the post-match presentation.

Though Rashid finished with just one wicket, it was a crucial one—removing Tilak Varma, who had remained unbeaten in the series until then. More importantly, his economy rate of just 3.80 runs per over was the most economical spell of the match, making him England’s most valuable bowler. His ability to keep things tight in the middle overs and deny the batters any easy scoring opportunities played a significant role in England’s victory.

On the Indian bowling front, Varun Chakravarthy was the standout performer, using his variations and control to trouble England’s middle order. His spell included the prized wicket of England captain Jos Buttler, after which he continued to dismantle the batting lineup, securing his second five-wicket haul in T20 internationals. Suryakumar credited Varun’s dedication and discipline for his continued success, stating, “Varun’s one guy who has been working very hard and has good discipline, that’s why he’s got the results.”

The match also saw the return of experienced pacer Mohammed Shami, who played his first international game since the 2023 ODI World Cup final. While he didn’t pick up a wicket, he showed glimpses of regaining his rhythm, consistently bowling around 135 kph with a near-perfect seam position and generating some movement. “Good to see Shami bowl like that,” Suryakumar added, indicating confidence in the veteran seamer’s comeback.

Earlier in the match, India had a golden opportunity to restrict England to a below-par total when the visitors were struggling at 127/8. However, Liam Livingstone’s counter-attacking 43 off 24 balls, supported by crucial lower-order contributions from Rashid (10*) and Mark Wood (10*), pushed England to 171/9. Reflecting on the team’s performance, Suryakumar admitted there were lessons to be learned, saying, “We always learn from a T20 game. Conceding 170 from 127 for 8 was too much. In batting also, we have a few things to learn.”

With the series now still alive, India will have another chance to secure an unassailable lead when the two teams meet again on Friday. England’s victory in Rajkot has added excitement to the series, setting up a crucial fourth T20I where both teams will look to take control.