England live on with Adil Rashid’s middle-overs squeeze

England live on with Adil Rashid's middle-overs squeeze

A sense of Deja Vu was sandwiched between Ben Duckett's 28-ball 51 and Liam Livingstone's quick-fire 43 off 24 after England were asked to bat first again. Varun Chakravarthy, their nemesis, was at it once more, draining the momentum of the middle-order. Despite this, England managed to post a competitive 171/9 in the third T20I in Rajkot.

It turned out to be more than enough, thanks to Adil Rashid's brilliance in the middle overs. His masterful spell not only derailed India's middle-order but also effectively crushed their chase.

For the second time in his career, Varun saw a five-wicket haul go in vain as England applied the squeeze on India. This time, there was no Tilak Varma to guide them out of trouble. Rashid made sure of that, dismissing the left-hander early.

England's bowling attack was formidable, with Jofra Archer striking early, dismissing Sanju Samson with a short delivery. Abhishek Sharma's adventurous knock was brought to an end by Brydon Carse, while Mark Wood ensured Suryakumar Yadav's trademark scoop-flick fell short. India, nevertheless, flew off the blocks quickly, having crossed 50 inside the powerplay and Tilak's six off Livingstone in the seventh over helped them sustain the momentum.

Rashid entered the attack in the eighth over and immediately tightened the screws on India with a masterful display of leg-spin bowling. His sharp leg-breaks proved decisive, as Tilak, who had remained unbeaten in his last four T20I innings, was bowled. It became 68/4 at the end of the eighth over and by the time Rashid ended his spell, India were struggling at 90/5 after 14, needing 82 off the last six overs.

The experienced leg spinner maintained relentless pressure, offering no loose deliveries, which further unsettled India. Not a single boundary was scored off Rashid, and even rotating the strike proved rather difficult. At the other end, Jamie Overton was doing a good job as well, bowling his cutters and using variations to keep India in check.

The mounting pressure led to Washington Sundar's dismissal, as he spooned a simple catch to a slower ball from Overton. Hardik Pandya also found it difficult to get going, managing just 14 off 21 when Rashid completed his spell, having conceded only 13 singles and a couple. Rashid's economy and precise control effectively suffocated India's scoring, leaving them with little room to maneuver.