PUNE, India — In a thrilling contest, Harshit Rana made an impressive debut as a concussion substitute, claiming 3 wickets for 33 runs. India secured a 15-run victory over England to clinch the Twenty20 series, sealing the win with a match still to play on Friday.
Rana’s pivotal moment came at the end of the 19th over when he bowled out England’s last significant player, Jamie Overton. This left Adil Rashid at the crease, accompanied by No. 11 Saqib Mahmood, facing the daunting task of scoring 19 runs in the final over. They managed only three runs before Mahmood was caught out, resulting in England being dismissed for 166, just two balls remaining in their innings after India had put up a total of 181 for 9.
The match started off poorly for India, who found themselves struggling at 12 for 3 by the second over, and later at 79 for 5 after 11 overs. However, an outstanding partnership between Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya, worth 87 runs off just 45 balls, helped India recover. Dube scored 53 off 34 balls, while Pandya matched that with an impressive 53 runs from 30 deliveries.
In an unfortunate incident during India’s last over, Dube was struck on his helmet by a delivery from Overton and had to leave the field due to concussion. In a somewhat controversial move, medium-pace bowler Rana replaced Dube, despite regulations calling for like-for-like substitutes. This strategic decision proved beneficial for the team. With this victory, India officially secured the series with a 3-1 lead ahead of the final match scheduled for Sunday in Mumbai.
England, winning its first toss of the series, chose to bowl first, and both teams made several changes. For India, Dube, Rinku Singh, and Arshdeep Singh were included in the lineup, while England brought in Jacob Bethell and Mahmood for this match.
The Indian batting lineup faced an early collapse as they lost their top three batsmen to Mahmood in the second over—Sanju Samson was caught at square leg for just 1 run, Tilak Varma fell on the first ball he faced, and captain Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a four-ball duck. Abhishek Sharma managed to score 29 runs with four boundaries and a six, forming a 45-run partnership with Rinku Singh, who contributed 30 runs off 26 balls.
Adil Rashid interrupted their partnerships by taking Sharma’s wicket in the eighth over, followed by Brydon Carse dismissing Singh. With the innings looking shaky, Dube and Pandya took control, launching an aggressive assault against the English bowlers. Dube’s innings included seven fours and two sixes, while Pandya struck four sixes and as many fours.
Chasing a target of 182 to level the series, England began confidently with their openers—Phil Salt scoring 23 and Ben Duckett 39. They added 62 runs in just 36 balls, with Duckett hitting seven boundaries and a six before being dismissed by wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi at the end of the powerplay overs.
A flurry of wickets followed as Axar Patel and Bishnoi claimed the scalps of Salt and England’s captain, Jos Buttler, respectively. This left England reeling at 67 for 3 after losing three wickets in just nine deliveries. However, Harry Brook, who had been struggling in the series, showed resilience with a quickfire 51 runs off 26 balls, featuring five fours and two sixes, before falling to Varun Chakravarthy shortly after reaching his half-century.
Rana’s introduction as Dube’s substitute was a turning point in the match. He efficiently took out Liam Livingstone and Bethell, eventually sending Overton back to the pavilion, sealing England’s fate and confirming India’s triumph in the match.
