England 177 for 9 (Duckett 51, Varun 5-24) beat India 145 for 9 (Hardik 40, Overton 3-24) by 26 runs
England quicks land early blows
With the expectation that this would be the best batting track of the series so far, England had to make early inroads in defence of a middling target. Sanju Samson didn’t trouble the scorers for the second match running, failing to clear mid-on, and although Abhishek Sharma struck five boundaries in his 14-ball innings, Archer was again involved in his dismissal, racing back from cover to claim a steepling catch off Brydon Carse.
That brought Tilak to the crease, his imperious recent form exemplified by an audacious charge-and-slap over cover second ball. Suryakumar Yadav then played his trademark flick for six over fine leg off Archer, adding four more off another slower ball later in the same over. But India’s captain was crowbarred out by a 143kph/89mph Wood delivery in the following over as England claimed their third wicket of the powerplay. Only the departure of Jamie Smith, who had been given the gloves due to a “tight calf” but walked off in the fourth over to be replaced behind the stumps by Phil Salt, threatened to undermine England’s strong start.
Tilak sent back (finally)
It took a piece of brilliance from England’s all-time great, Rashid, to end Tilak’s run. Tossed up wide of off, the ball dipped and ripped back through the gate with the batter on his heels, rattling middle and leg stumps. Silence rippled around the SCA Stadium. India needed 104 from 12 overs but their aura of invincibility had taken a hit, and they never really got close despite Hardik and Axar Patel attempting to take the game deep.
Shami’s comeback
Shami was back in an India XI for the first time in 14 months, and playing his first T20I since the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final – a game in which England cruised to a 10-wicket win on the way to lifting the trophy. The teams’ fortunes have diverged significantly since then, with India now the reigning T20 champions and coming into this game with a record of 15 wins from 17 T20Is since last year’s World Cup in the Caribbean.
Shami was deep in rehab during most of that run but finally made his return in Rajkot, with India opting to rest Arshdeep Singh. His first ball drew a swing and a miss from Salt, while his second was mistimed with enough power to go for four down the ground during an opening over that cost six runs. After Salt fell to Hardik, plinking to cover, Jos Buttler was beaten by a classic Shami outswinger – seam bolt upright like a rudder – before Duckett ramped the last ball of an initial two-over spell for six.
He later returned to bowl the 19th over, with England nine down. There was to be no comeback wicket, however, as Rashid deftly steered him for four before Wood had to dodge a beamer that earned Shami a warning from the umpire.
