New Delhi: India defeated England by 150 runs in the fifth T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to clinch the five-match series by 4-1. The Men in Blue continued their dominance at home by winning the 17th consecutive T20I series. Suryakumar Yadav and Co. outplayed the visitors in all three departments.
England had their moments in a couple of matches but failed to grab them. The Three Lions made too many mistakes which you just can’t afford against such a formidable Indian side which won 29 T20I matches out of their last 32.
In the fifth T20I, Abhishek Sharma played a sensational knock by scoring 135 runs off 54 balls at a strike rate of 250. He smacked 13 maximums and 7 boundaries in his explosive knock. Shivam Dube (30) and Tilak Varma (24) also made important contributions with the bat. Carse picked up three wickets while Mark Wood also took two wickets.
Chasing the massive target of 248 runs, the Three Lions bowled out for just 97 runs on a belter of a pitch. Phil Salt scored a 21-ball fifty, but other batters failed to get going at all as Chakravarthy and Bishnoi took regular wickets. Shivam Dube also showed that he isn’t too bad with the ball either and took two wickets before Shami came back and removed the lower order in no time.
India vs England T20I series talking points
1. Indian spin attack dominates
The Indian spinners picked up 24 wickets in the five-match series. They didn’t allow England batters to score freely by bowling tight lines and applying continuous pressure by taking wickets in the crucial moments . Varun Chakravarthy took 12 wickets, including one five-wicket haul and Axar Patel picked up six wickets. Ravi Bishnoi also took 4 wickets while Abhishek Sharma and Washington Sundar claimed one wicket each. Jos Buttler and the team had no answers against India’s spin attack with their batters struggling to rotate the strike and accelerate in crucial moments.
2. All-rounders made big impact
All-rounders played an important role in the series with Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube making a massive impact with the bat and ball. Axar picked up six wickets and also made valuable contributions with the bat. Hardik Pandya was the fourth-highest run-getter in the series and also claimed five wickets. Shivam Dube made a comeback in the team by scoring a brilliant fifty in the fourth T20I. He forged an important partnership with Pandya in Pune, helping the team to secure a 15-run victory against England. He also hit 30 runs off 13 deliveries in the last T20I and also picked up two wickets.
3. Samson, Suryakumar fail to fire
Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav and opener Sanju Samson failed to score runs in the five-match T20I series against England. The Mumbai batter scored just 28 runs while Samson amassed 51 runs in the five matches. The Indian captain, known for his aggressive stroke play, struggled to find rhythm and consistency throughout the series. His poor form put extra pressure on India’s lower middle order. Samson, who was in sensational form during the T20I series against Bangladesh and South Africa, lost his wicket in a similar fashion throughout the series.
4. Abhishek Sharma’s record-breaking century
Abhishek Sharma scored 135 runs off 54 balls in the fifth T20I, the highest ever individual score by an Indian batter in the shortest format. He outscored his Punjab teammate Shubman Gill, who previously held the record with a score of unbeaten 126 against New Zealand in 2023. He also smashed most sixes (13) for India in a T20I match during his explosive knock.
5. Controversy in the 4th T20I
Harshit Rana replaced Shivam Dube as a concussion substitute in the fourth T20I match. Initially, it was assumed that the pacer came in as substitute fielder but the BCCI posted a tweet on X, stating that Harshit Rana replaced Shivam Dube as a concussion substitute.
Commentators Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Shastri, and Harsha Bhogle discussed the matter on-air, as Harshit Rana removed Liam Livingstone on the second ball of his over. Jos Buttler and Pietersen seemed unhappy with the decision and the England captain stated that it was not a like-for-like replacement.
“We don’t agree with that either Shivam Dube has put on about 25mph with the ball or Harshit has really improved his batting,” said Buttler in the post-match conference. Rana made a crucial contribution to the match by taking 3 wickets, helping India to secure the victory, which led to a heated debate on social media.
IND vs ENG: Take a look at the key talking points from the India vs England five-match T20I series. The Men in Blue won the series by 4-1. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
