Debutant Suryakumar’s emphatic half-century rendered the winning path for team India in the fourth T2O international match against England. Yadav hit a classy 31-ball 57 to ensure India posted a competitive 185/8 on a pitch that was helping the seam bowlers.
M.O.O.D!😎😀
An 8⃣-run win in the 4th @Paytm #INDvENG T20I & #TeamIndia level the series 2-2! 👏👏@Paytm #INDvENG
Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/TYCBHIV89r pic.twitter.com/XGUimbNa6c
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 18, 2021
Surya announced his arrival with a six of the very first ball he faced off Jofra Archer. The score could have gone over the 200-run mark, but Archer’s four-wicket haul restricted the hosts from running away with the game.
A 28-ball 5⃣0⃣ for @surya_14kumar! 👏👏
First outing with the bat in international cricket & he is making it count. 💪💪 @Paytm #INDvENG #TeamIndia
Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/TYCBHIV89r pic.twitter.com/nQ6I9fNCoD
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 18, 2021
Rishabh Pant (30) and Shreyas Iyer (37) also looked very comfortable in the middle and kept the scoreboard ticking.
Chasing 186, Jason Roy and Jos Buttler opened the innings for the side. Bhuvneshwar Kumar started with a maiden over just the way India wanted. From the other end, skipper Virat Kohli brought Hardik Pandya into the attack. Pandya also did not concede many runs in his over.
Dawid Malan, who came in to bat at number three, along with Roy kept the scoreboard moving and made full use of the powerplay overs. The duo added 45 runs for the second wicket stand before Rahul Chahar removed Malan (14) in the eighth over.
For hosts, Pandya bowled four overs with an economy of 4 runs per over and scalped two wickets. The last T20I will decide who lifts the trophy on Saturday evening.
3⃣ down! 👌👌@hardikpandya7 picks his first wicket of the match as he dismisses Jason Roy. 👍👍@Paytm #INDvENG #TeamIndia
Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/TYCBHIV89r pic.twitter.com/zBtmRnOYRh
— BCCI (@BCCI) March 18, 2021
Milestone For Rohit Sharma
Opening batsman Rohit Sharma became the second Indian batsman to cross 9,000 runs in T20 cricket. Virat Kohli is the other Indian batsman to have crossed the 9,000-run mark in T20s and he is the leading run-getter for India in the shortest format of the game — international and domestic combined.
The controversy around Yadav’s dismissal
The biggest turning point came in the 14th over of the innings as Surya (57) was sent back to the pavilion by Sam Curran. The right-handed batsman tried to play a ramp shot but Dawid Malan ended up taking the catch. Replays indicated that the ball might have hit the ground when Malan was taking the catch, however, as the soft signal was out, the third umpire stayed with the on-field call citing “lack of conclusive evidence”.
“It was a great opportunity for me to bat at number three for India. Yeah, I knew he will come a little short of me, I am really happy with the way things went. Regarding my dismissal, not really disappointed because few things are not in my control. Things that are in my control, I try to control that and things outside that, are not in my hands,” said Yadav after the dismissal.
Third umpire while making that decision. #INDvENGt20 #suryakumar pic.twitter.com/JJp2NldcI8
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 18, 2021