IND vs ENG 3rd T20I: Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 77 goes in vain as Jos Buttler’s 83 guides England to victory

England took a 2-1 lead in the five match T20I series, after they outplayed India in the third T20I on Tuesday. Jos Buttler was the star of the show as he scored an unbeaten knock of 83 runs to guide his team past the finishing line. The wicket-keeper batsman smashed five boundaries and four sixes in his match-winning innings.

As for the hosts, it was another top-order collapse which cost them the match. The English pacers found the backs of Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan in the first six overs. It was Virat Kohli’s masterclass knock of 77 runs that helped India post a total of 156 runs in the first innings.

England won the toss and decided to bowl first, following the trend of chasing down the total in the series. England made just one change to their side, with Mark Wood recovering from his injury and replacing Tom Curran. India also made just one change, with Rohit Sharma coming into the side to replace Suryakumar Yadav.

Also Read: “Rishabh Pant Letting Me Down With DRS Calls” – R Ashwin’s Comments Misconstrued

Here is how the entire match panned out-

India get off to a horrific start

The hosts got off to a dismal start as they lost three wickets in the powerplay overs. It was yet another new opening combination for India, as Kl Rahul and Rohit Sharma were the designated openers. KL Rahul continued his poor form this series, as he was dismissed for his second duck in three matches. Rahul was bowled over by Mark Wood, as he attempted to play across the wicket.

Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan also lost their wickets to Mark Wood and Chris Jordan respectively, as the score read 24-3 in 5.2 overs. Mark Wood stole the show for the visitors as he was almost unplayable in the opening stages of the match and found the back of both openers.

Virat Kohli continues his good form

Virat Kohli was back to his usual best in the second T20I against England on Sunday. However, he played even better today with his 77-run knock. He tormented the likes of Mark Wood and Chris Jordan in the death overs and helped India post 156 runs on the board. However, Kohli did not get much support from other batsman, as Rishabh Pant ran himself out after a careless call.

Shreyas Iyer was dismissed after scoring just nine runs, whereas, Hardik Pandya was not at his usual best and was finding it difficult to find the middle of his bat. He scored just 17 runs in 15 balls.

Jos Buttler dominates Indian bowling to give visitors a 2-1 lead

The second innings was all about just one man, Jos Buttler. The English batsman dominated the Indian bowling right from the onset and score runs all over the park. Even after losing his partner, Jason Roy early on in the chase, Buttler continued to bat at his own pace and did not give a chance to the hosts.

Buttler scored an unbeaten knock of 83 runs in just 52 balls and was adjudged the player of the match. The Indian bowlers were taken to the cleaners, especially Yuzvendra Chahal who conceded 41 runs in his four overs, picking up just one wicket. Washington Sundar was pick of the bowlers for the hosts on Tuesday as he conceded just 26 runs in his four overs, and picked up the priced wicket of Dawid Malan.

The fourth T20I will be held in March 18 at the same venue. India will hope to level the series in a must-win encounter. As for England, they are in the drivers seat and have found their best eleven ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup to be held later this year.