England slipped to a T20 series defeat with a game to spare thanks to the combined efforts of all-rounder Shivam Dube and the fast bowling debutant, who replaced him as a concussion sub, Harshit Rana.
World Cup winner Dube, making his first appearance of the series, made a fine 53 from 34 balls in India’s innings of 181 for nine, but a blow to the head in the final over from Jamie Overton meant he underwent a concussion test, which he failed.
That meant he was able to be replaced by a like-for-like player. Harshit’s involvement was approved, even though he is a fast bowler who has scored two T20 runs in his career, and Dube is a batting all-rounder, who has bowled nine overs in his last 12 T20is.
Harshit duly bowled magnificently, picking up three for 33 to help India win by 15 runs. He took the wickets of Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell and England’s last hope, Overton, to secure victory.
Saqib Mahmood was England’s last man out, and earlier he had helped them make a blistering start, picking up a triple-wicket maiden in his first over of the series. But Hardik Pandya and Dube helped India rally and despite strong contributions from Harry Brook and Ben Duckett, England struggled in their chase.
Full report to follow
05:36 PM GMT
A final word from Jos Butter on the concussion substitution
It’s not a like for like replacement and we don’t agree with that. Shivnam Dube bowls at about 25mph with the ball. Look, we should have still gone on to win the match but we don’t agree with the decision.
05:34 PM GMT
India take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series
The final match is at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Sunday at 1.30pm.
05:31 PM GMT
Jos Buttler speaks
He isn’t asked about and he doesn’t bring up the concussion substitution of Rana for Dube.
At the end of the batting powerplay we were in a great position and should have gone on from there. We lost a couple of wickets quickly together from a fantastic position. We want to double down on the way we play and want to commit to it even more.
05:09 PM GMT
England may think Harshit made the difference
And it’s hard to argue against that point as he took three for 33 but England were 62 for no wicket off 35 balls, 129 for four with 34 balls to go and both Brook and Cares threw their wickets away taking unnecessary risks against Chakravarthy, while Livingstone and Bethell were too lackadaisical. they also had India at 12 for three aftervtwo overs and 79 for five with 56 balls left.
05:03 PM GMT
Wicket!
Saqib c Axar b Arshdeep 1 Cloths a pull to midwicket. FOW 166 all out
India win by 15 runs and their 17th successive home T20 series.
05:01 PM GMT
OVER 19.3: ENG 166/9 (Rashid 10 Saqib 1) chasing target of 182
Rashid can only pick out long on and they run a single.
05:00 PM GMT
OVER 19.2: ENG 165/9 (Rashid 9 Saqib 1) chasing target of 182
Saqib drives through the offside for a single.
05:00 PM GMT
OVER 19.1: ENG 164/9 (Rashid 9 Saqib 0) chasing target of 182
England need 19 to win. Rashid bunts the low full toss from Arshdeep for a single.
04:58 PM GMT
OVER 19: ENG 163/9 (Rashid 8) chasing target of 182
Overton starts by lamping the attempted yorker for four back over the bowler’s head. Harshit hides the ball outside off and Overton drags it to mid-on, turning down the single.
Chakravarthy gets in Samson’s way when the keeper races back to try to catch a skier when Overton’s drive came off the toe and over his head. He drops it and they run two.
Overton turns down another single. this is crazy. Adil can bat.
The bowler stops the big drive and that’s a third dot ball.
Wicket!
And then Overton drags on and is clean bowled off the last ball.
04:53 PM GMT
OVER 18: ENG 157/8 (Overton 13 Rashid 8) chasing target of 182
Arshdeep returns and Overton works a single with his bottom hand through midwicket. Rashid steers a single to short third man. Overton’s crashing drive hits the non-striker’s stumps and costs him at least one as they can only manage a single.
Rashid swats the slow bouncer to mid-on for a single. Overtoon drills another to cover and Rashid carts the last ball through midwicket for six!
England need 25 off 12 balls.
England are here because Livingstone, Brook, Carse and Bethell all threw their wickets away.
04:48 PM GMT
OVER 17: ENG 146/8 (Overton 10 Rashid 0) chasing target of 182
Overton whisks Bishnoi two for midwicket then bludgeons a six over long on. The next ball is pushed across him and he slaps it for a single. What can Archer do against leg-spin having been befuddled by it so far in the series? The answer to that is nowt.
England need 36 off 18.
04:46 PM GMT
Wicket!
Archer b Bishnoi 0 Drags on the googly. FOW 146/8
04:44 PM GMT
OVER 16: ENG 137/7 (Overton 1 Archer 0) chasing target of 182
England are in a deep, deep hole now, one dug for them by India’s spinners and the concussion sub.
04:42 PM GMT
Wicket!
Bethell c Suryakumar b Rana 6 Did him with the slower ball. Bethell mistimes it and cloths it to the midwicket sweeper who took the swirler well. FOW 137/7
04:39 PM GMT
OVER 15: ENG 133/6 (Bethell 3 Overton 0) chasing target of 182
Fifty and out for Brook, bringing it up off 25 balls by reverse sweeping for four. But he falls next ball. Carse is promoted ahead of Overton and he picks up four leg-byes off the first delivery before trying for the bleachers but miscuing it horribly.
England need 49 off 30.
04:37 PM GMT
Wicket!
Carse c Rinku b Chakravarthy 0 Went for the slog sweep but the ball took the splice and ballooned to square leg. FOW 133/6
Good game to win from here. Interesting that it’s Brydon Carse, a better player of spin than Jamie Overton, who has come out at No 7.
04:34 PM GMT
Wicket!
Brook c Arshdeep b Chakravarthy 51 Scooped it over his shoulder straight to short fine leg, falling over as he did so, the ball after bringing up his fifty. FOW 129/5
04:32 PM GMT
OVER 14: ENG 124/4 (Brook 47 Bethell 2) chasing target of 182
Harshit Rana starst with two dot balls, the first by virtue of a fine diving stop at point by Abhishek but then Brook tucks in:
He picks the slower ball, waits for it and thrashes it to cover for two, then flicks the next over fine leg with his pick-up shot for six, followed by a lofted off drive for six off the slower ball and a lofted square drive for four. Some over that: ..2664.
04:27 PM GMT
OVER 13: ENG 106/4 (Brook 29 Bethell 2) chasing target of 182
Brook steps into the legside to mow four through midwicket and uses his feet to caress a single to mid-on. Bethell reverse sweeps for a single and Brook dabs one down to short third man.
England need 76 off 42.
04:25 PM GMT
OVER 12: ENG 99/4 (Brook 23 Bethell 1) chasing target of 182
Jos Buttler was fuming after being caught by Rana and spitting feathers now he has taken the wicket of Livinsgtone.
The 23-year-old has 28 T20 wickets at 23.64 compared with Dube’s 52 at 32.63 in 130 more games.
04:19 PM GMT
Wicket!
Livingstone c Samson b Rana 9 India have brought in a fast bowler for a batting all-rounder and England are rightly spewing as he takes a wicket with his second ball. Not like for like at all. Livingstone was trying to run it down to third man but was beaten for pace and diverted it straight to the keeper. FOW 95/3
Pretty bizarre that Harshit Rana, a bowler, has been allowed to come in as Shivam Dube’s concussion sub! And now he has picked up the wicket of Livingstone, who should be trying to whack pace, not fiddle it about like that.
04:18 PM GMT
OVER 11: ENG 94/3 (Brook 19 Livingstone 9) chasing target of 182
Axar Patel replaces Chakravarthy and they will have to watch the bounce here. Brook slams a drive down the ground that is clawed back from the rope with milimetres to spare and they run two. Brook then gives himself some room with a step out to leg which enables him to free his arms and crash a square drive for four.
Harshit Singh, the concussion sub, is coming on for a debut over in international cricket next. He’s a right-arm quick.
04:13 PM GMT
OVER 10: ENG 86/3 (Brook 12 Livingstone 8) chasing target of 182
Bishnoi is back for a third over in succession and England pick him off for a piar of deuces and four aces. The twos are both into the offside. Brooks square-driven, Livingstone’s cover-driven.
Time for drinks. England need 96 from 60 balls or 9.6 an over in old money.
04:08 PM GMT
OVER 9: ENG 78/3 (Brook 8 Livingstone 4) chasing target of 182
Right, can Brook fare better against Chakravarthy, having fallen twice to him and once to the other leggie in the series so far. Well, he starts with his beans pumping, streakily but effectively, walking down and dragging a drive for two and then sweeping the next for four. After Brook smears an on-drive for a single down to the boundary rider, Livingstone tickles two off his pads then cuffs a slog sweep for two more. Excellent running.
04:05 PM GMT
OVER 8: ENG 65/2 (Brook 1 Livingstone 0) chasing target of 182
Harshit Rana, who took that catch, is the concussion sub. He’s a bowler so it’s not exactly a like for like substitute for Dube but the umpires have authorised it apparently.
Momentum-changing wicket.
England need 115 from 72.
04:01 PM GMT
Wicket!
Buttler c sub (Rana) b Bishnoi 2 The leg-break got big on him as he went for the square cut, bouncing to take the top edge and sail to short third man. FOW 67/3
04:00 PM GMT
OVER 7: ENG 65/2 (Buttler 1 Brook 0) chasing target of 182
India turn the screw by rattling through the over, racking up dot balls, giving the batsmen no time to think.
03:57 PM GMT
Wicket
Salt b Axar 23 A couple of dot balls breed frustration for Salt who tries to break the manacles with a square cut off the dart of arm ball which skids on beneath the bat. FOW 65/2
03:54 PM GMT
OVER 6: ENG 62/1 (Salt 22 Buttler 0) chasing target of 182
Dube is off after being hit on the head by the penultimate ball of the innings. Would they be allowed a concussion sub who can bowl given that he played on for another ball? I think so – Labuschagne replaced Smith at Lord’s in 2019 although Smith carried on after being struck by Archer.
Salt bunts Bishnoi down the ground for two then makes room with a step into the legside to muscle a drive past the bowler for four. Duckett hacks a drive over mid-on that plus in the grass 3m in from the boundary then holes out next ball, the last of the powerplay.
03:52 PM GMT
Wicket!
Duckett c Suryakumar b Bishnoi 39 India blocked off his sweep and reverse sweep boundary options so he tried to go straight and sliced his drive to cover. FOW 62/1
03:49 PM GMT
OVER 5: ENG 53/0 (Salt 15 Duckett 37) chasing target of 182
Axar is also on in the powerplay. Duckett slog sweeps the first ball for four through wide mid-on and then jogs a leg-bye when pinned outside the line while sweeping next ball. Salt drives down the ground for a single and Duckett, with the two men out on the onside boundary, reverse sweeps the next two balls for four and six!
The last ball is pushed across him towards off and he tries to flick it over the keeper with a reverse scoop but misses the ball.
This has been a fabulous start for England. They have never chased as many as this in a T20 against India. Duckett looks in regal touch.
03:44 PM GMT
OVER 4: ENG 37/0 (Salt 14 Duckett 23) chasing target of 182
India turn very early to Chakravarthy, their bowler of the series so far. He is rendered as Vinond on our scorecard as that’s his third name and that’s what Opta use in their system. Apologies for the confusion.
Duckett steps away to leg but the leg-break bowler spears it into to his toes to thwart his attempt to find some room. So out comes the reverse sweep to the tune of a four and a single which puts Salt in strike. He claws at a drive across the line but cannot beat mid-on.
03:41 PM GMT
OVER 3: ENG 32/0 (Salt 14 Duckett 18) chasing target of 182
Duckett is quacking here, lifting the short one on his pads from Arshdeep over square leg for four followed by a flick over midwicket for another and a crisp pull through long leg for a third boundary off successive balls.
03:35 PM GMT
OVER 2: ENG 19/0 (Salt 14 Duckett 5) chasing target of 182
Hardik starts over the wicket to the left-handed Duckett, angles it across him and Duckett flashes hard and edges it through the vacant slips for four. There’s a short third man on the circle but he was nowhere near it. Hardik bangs the next one on and Duckett tucks it off his hip for a single.
Salt reaches out to clout a full ball over cover for four and England now have their highest first-wicket partnership of the series. Salt collars the offside bouncer and swats it for two after the sub fielder makes a fantastic diving stop.
An unbeaten opening stand of 19 is a positively screeching start for England.
03:30 PM GMT
OVER 1: ENG 8/0 (Salt 8 Duckett 0) chasing target of 182
Arshdeep, the left-arm quick, goes full with his inswingers and Salt defends the first two then drives the next two for fours, an off-drive succeeded by a lovely on-drive off a half-volley. Absolute silence from the crowd. Arshdeep ratches back his length which has caused Salt problems in the past and he plays and misses with his square cut as the ball angles across him from over the wicket.
03:26 PM GMT
Arshdeep Singh has the new ball
And he is looking for two wickets to take him to a century in T20Is.
03:20 PM GMT
Up against it
Steven Finn, who called England’s victory at the midpoint of Tuesday’s match, says he thinks England will find it very hard on another sticky pitch against the quicks and against the spinners who have caused them so many problems so far. Unless, as Will says, the dew robs the slow bowlers of the surest of grips.
03:16 PM GMT
Halfway verdict
A blistering start for England, with Mahmood’s triple-wicket maiden, but India have pulled together a formidable score with some brutal hitting in the second half.
Shivam Dube, playing his first game of the series, made Jos Buttler pay for a tough drop first ball. Adil Rashid has had a stranglehold over India’s middle order in the last couple of games, but Dube played him brilliantly, taking 25 from his 11 balls from England’s wizard of a leg-spinner.
That freed up Hardik Pandya to whack the seamers having blocked out Rashid. There was some beautiful swings of the bat, but some ugly moments from England. In all, India made 109 in the last 10 overs.
That includes a terrific last over from Jamie Overton, who had a strange night. His four overs went for six, three, 20 and three. That last one including three wickets, two of them run outs.
Funny old game. England will go hard at this, and I reckon there could be some pretty heavy dew involved in the chase.
03:15 PM GMT
OVER 20: IND 181/9 (Bishnoi 0)
Livingstone drops a high swirler at long on and they run two. But he’s out next ball. Arshdeep runs himself out leaving Dube three balls. Overton goes short with his cutter and the batsman turns down a single after swiping it to mid-off. Overton then puts the pace back on and clonks Dube on the helmet. Two dot balls are gold dust and then they run him out off the last.
03:13 PM GMT
Wicket!
Dube run out 53 Brilliant throw by Buttler from long on to knock down the striker’s stumos as they tried to burgle a second off the last ball. FOW 181/9
03:11 PM GMT
Wicket!
Arshdeep run out 0 Sacrificed himself to get Dube back on strike for the last three balls. Had a swing and a miss and Salt threw it to Overton to whip off the bails at the non-striker’s. FOW 180/8
03:09 PM GMT
Wicket!
Axar c Bethell b Overton 5 Clears the front leg and picks out deep midwicket with a lazy arc of the bat. FOW 180/7
03:08 PM GMT
OVER 19: IND 178/6 (Dube 52 Axar 3)
Carse started well and gave up only a run a ball from the first four but then sprayed one on to Dube’s pads and he skelped it away greedily for four to fine leg then clatters a square cut in front of square to bring up his won fifty off 31 balls.
England have gone for 65 off their last four overs.
03:05 PM GMT
OVER 18: IND 166/6 (Dube 43 Axar 0)
Overton starts with a wide then bowls a full toss above the waist while trying ton spear in the yorker. Pandya chops it down to third man for four and given it was above the waist throws the kitchen sink at the free-hit and crashes it over long on for six. That’s his fifty up off 27 balls.
England have a conference after Hardik takes a single with a flat bat to cover. They go for the short ball for Dube who flips it off his hip for a one-bounce four.
Overton silences the crowd when he ends the partnership on 87.
India, suddenly, have built a very formidable base here. Hardik has batted brilliantly, reaching his 50 off 27 balls – and it feels like he’s blocked or left about half of them!
03:02 PM GMT
Wicket!
Hardik c Buttler b Overton 53 Undone by the slower ball he tries to mitigate mistiming it and being through teh swing too early by taking his bottom hand off but it doesn’t work and he cloths it high to cover. FOW 166/6
02:57 PM GMT
OVER 17: IND 146/5 (Dube 38 Hardik 40)
The way Indians talk about Hardik reminds me of the way Australians talk about Glenn Maxwell. They recognise that he’s a generational talent but they also seem perplexed and frustrated by his failures when it’s built-in to his game. Today he has batted beautifully, though, judging his scoring rate to perfection.
Archer is back on for his final over and Hardik smashes the full ball over long off for six then hammers a cover drive for four when his yorker doesn’t land. After they take a single into the onside, Archer tries the yorker at the left-handed Dube but it slips out again and Dube slaps the full toss violently down the ground for four more.
02:52 PM GMT
OVER 16: IND 129/5 (Dube 33 Hardik 28)
Hardik launches Saqib for two sixes, the first an elegant straight drive from two steps down, the second a swatted pull that catches the wind and just sails over Brook’s leap on the boundary edge at cow corner. No doubt that has given Mahmood’s figures a kicking but what counts in his 4-1-35-3 is that last column.
Buttler’s drop of Dube at slip first ball seemed a bit of a throwaway moment at the time. England on top, tough chance, write it off etc. But it’s proved costly because since then, he has played Rashid superbly, and very differently to his team-mates. England will be scared to bowl Livingstone at him at the death.
02:47 PM GMT
OVER 15: IND 113/5 (Dube 32 Hardik 14)
Buttler turns back to Jamie Overton. Dube late cuts for a single but Hardik can’t time his strokes and is kept quiet for three dot balls until the right-arm quick fails to land the yorker and teh India all-rounder pats the low full toss off his pads round the corner for a single.
Salt and Overton are disgusted when the sixth ball is called wide as it seemed to paint the tramlines. Both could be facing dissent charges for Overton’s shake of the head and Salt’s exasperated cry of ‘No!’
Overton has to bowl it again and goes for the bouncer that Dube plays poorly, knicking it straight up the chimney but it comes to earth before Salt or the bowler could get there.
02:41 PM GMT
OVER 14: IND 110/5 (Dube 20 Hardik 12)
No circumspection from Dube in this Rashid over, panning one down the ground for six and collaring the shorter one behind square for four. The tall left-hander works the leg-break all along the ground for a single. Hardik is not so confident against the leg-spinner and defends the final two balls of the over, the second with the outside half of his bat as the leg-spinner turned more sharply than he had anticipated.
02:37 PM GMT
OVER 13: IND 98/5 (Dube 20 Hardik 12)
Hardik takes a liking to Carse and pulls his short ball over midwicket for four before drilling the fuller one through cover like a tracer bullet for another.
02:34 PM GMT
OVER 12: IND 87/5 (Dube 19 Hardik 2)
Buttler sticks with Rashid who will try to tempt the dangerous Hardik to his doom. For once in this innings India eschew risk and knock him around for four singles off the first five balls until Adil drags the last one down and Dube leans back to pull it hard and flat for four through wide mid-on, the ball bouncing maybe half a metre in from the rope.
02:28 PM GMT
OVER 11: IND 79/5 (Dube 13 Hardik 0)
Dube decides to go back to using his feet to Carse, coming down and swinging hard and the ball flies past third man for four. He gets away with it but Rinku can’t.
Big wicket that. Rinku is very dangerous in the second half of the innings, and England now find themselves two wickets from the tail, with two Rashid overs up their sleeve.
02:26 PM GMT
Wicket!
Rinku c Rashid b Carse 30 For the second time in the over one of the left-handers charges Carse who bangs it in and the batsman tries to adjust but can’t and slashes straight down third man’s throat. FOW 79/5
02:24 PM GMT
OVER 10: IND 72/4 (Rinku 29 Dube 8)
Rashid takes the pace off and ties them up again, keeping them down to four singles before the drinks break.
02:19 PM GMT
ENG review
Rinku lbw b Rashid Reverse sweeping, hit him on the hip as he knelt. Looks like it was missing off stump.
Yes not out.
02:16 PM GMT
OVER 9: IND 69/4 (Rinku 27 Dube 7)
Buttler calls back Archer to test Dube’s resilience to pace and bounce. And Archer does indeed tie the tall left-hander up, having him caught off his shoulder as he closed his eyes on a bouncer and conceding just two leg-byes and a single until he oversteps with the sixth ball and concedes a free-hit. Archer goes short again and Dube swings and misses, meaning no extra punishment. He don’t like it up him.
02:13 PM GMT
OVER 8: IND 65/4 (Rinku 26 Dube 7)
Should have been so much better for Rashid who nicked Dube off first ball after luring Abhsihek on to the rocks. But Buttler at slip has an attack of the Sophie Ecclestone’s and shells the chance. To add insult to injury Dube slog sweeps the final ball of the over for a monster of a six.
02:07 PM GMT
Wicket!
Abhishek c Bethell b Rashid 29 Having just been hit for four, Rashid takes the pace off, inviting him to have another go and he takes the bait. Diddled by the dip he mows his slog sweep straight to the midwicket sweeper. FOW 57/4
02:07 PM GMT
OVER 7: IND 53/3 (Abhishek 25 Rinku 25)
Just the one over for Carse as Buttler brings on Jamie Overton, who took three wickets at Rajkot, to replace him. He bowls cutters and fuller balls of varying pace, tying them down to two singles off his first five deliveries until Rinku, deep in his crease, leans out to smack a drive through cover for four with such violent force that he loses his bottom hand grip.
India fans finding their voice, with Abishek and Rinku both 25 from 17. England would have bitten your hand off for this start, though. Three down before Rashid comes on – which is now, in fact.
02:03 PM GMT
OVER 6: IND 47/3 (Abhishek 24 Rinku 20)
Buttler keeps Saqib on for a third over in succession and Abhishek whisks the fuller delivery through midwicket for two and then works the inswinger off his pads for a single. Rinku climbs into the short ball and pulls it hard in front of square to cow corner for six!
01:59 PM GMT
OVER 5: IND 37/3 (Abhishek 21 Rinku 13)
Brydon Carse replaces Archer and Rinku is going to take him on, using his feet. Carse sees him coming, bangs in the bouncer but he still hooks and top-edges it for four. He goes down again to the short ball and pulls this one off the middle for four more.
01:55 PM GMT
OVER 4: IND 28/3 (Abhishek 20 Rinku 5)
Two well-timed cover drives of contrasting styles for Abhishek off Mahmood, the first off the back foot and slapped with Lara-esque flourish for four and the subsequent one creamed off the front foot.
01:51 PM GMT
OVER 3: IND 19/3 (Abhishek 11 Rinku 5)
So much for Rinku digging in, as per the advice, as he charges Jofra Archer and nails a cover drive for four. Absolutely creamed it. Two singles and a leg-bye are also taken as Archer flirts with 150kph (93mph).
01:45 PM GMT
OVER 2: IND 12/3 (Abhishek 10 Rinku 0)
What a sensational return for Saqib, the Lancashire quick. He goes for the swinging yorker for the hat-trick ball but the India captain keeps it out. And then plays out a couple more before falling to mid-on. A triple-wicket maiden!
Terrific bowling. Hare-brained batting, too.
Saqib Mahmood strikes with his first ball of the tour! Samson, not out to Archer this time, just picks out Carse in the deep. Short ball that didn’t get up much.
It’s utterly silent here, as Saqib Mahmood starts his tour with a triple-wicket maiden. Brilliant fields from Jos Buttler, who had two slips, a gully, a short leg and catching mid-on and mid-off from the hat trick ball onwards. The man at mid-on took the third catch.
01:42 PM GMT
Wicket!
Suryakumar c Carse b Mahmood 0 Sky has fallen. Not the hat-trick ball but the fourth he faces, chips it to mid-on. FOW 12/3
01:38 PM GMT
Wicket!
Tilak c Archer b Saqib 0 Two in two and Saqib is on a hat-trick. Great catch by Archer at backward point when the left-hander sliced a lofted drive on the charge. Saqib, where have you been? FOW 12/2
01:36 PM GMT
Wicket!
Samson c Carse b Saqib 1 Hunkers deep in his crease to free his arms on the pull but picks out deep backward square off Saqib’s first ball. Carse takes the easy chance. FOW 12/1
01:35 PM GMT
OVER 1: IND 12/0 (Samson 1 Abhishek 10)
Archer begins with a back-of-a-length nip-backer to Samson that almost slices him in two as it whizzes towards his box. The next ball nips back too far and is called wide as it breezes past his backside. Duckett makes a tremendous, diving stop at point to quarter a four into only one. Abhishek uses his feet and a horizontal bat to find the fielder with his cut and then swish at fresh air but then uppercuts the fifth ball for six to the short square boundary. Jofra pitches the next ball up and Abhishek creams an off-drive for four. The fielder gave manful chase but the outfield proved too slick (and the ball too forcefully struck).
01:31 PM GMT
Jofra Archer has the ball in hand
And Liam Livingstone has some new red shoes. Well I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused ...
01:17 PM GMT
A flicking forfeit
01:13 PM GMT
A black comedy of errors
For England on day two of the Women’s Ashes at the MCG. Had the team been sponsored by Lurpak they could not have been worse. You can read about it here:
The shocking eight dropped catches that epitomise gulf between England and Australia
01:10 PM GMT
Team news
Beautiful evening in Pune, and good news for Jos Buttler, who has won his first toss of the tour. Two changes, one of them enforced. Mark Wood has been rested, with Saqib Mahmood coming in. But Jamie Smith has a calf injury that I suspect will rule him out of Sunday’s game too. He hopes to be back for the ODIs from Thursday.
India have strengthened their team, with Rinku Singh fit again and Arshdeep Singh back from his rest. They’ve also selected World Cup winner Shivam Dube.
It’s been a quiet couple of days since the win in Rajkot, with the England players enjoying some golf and a trip to see Ed Sheeran in Pune last night.
01:08 PM GMT
India make three changes
In come Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh and Arshdeep Singh for Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel and Mohammed Shami.
India Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.
01:06 PM GMT
England make two changes
Jacob Bethell replaces Jamie Smith and Saqib Mahmood comes in for Mark Wood.
England Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler (capt), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood.
01:04 PM GMT
In the TNT Sports studio
It’s the usual team: Kate Bevan, Sir Alastair Cook and Steven Finn. The one change, game to game, is that the 2010-11/2015 Ashes winners take it in turns to sit next to Kate.
01:02 PM GMT
England have won the toss
And have put India in to bat.
01:02 PM GMT
Why is Jamie Overton batting at No 7?
Jamie Overton is, by his own admission, “not the greatest against spin”.
In this T20 series against India, that much has been clear. Despite making his name as a fast bowler alongside his twin brother Craig, Overton is batting in the key No 7 spot, and has managed just seven runs from 12 balls in three innings. On each occasion, he has been dismissed by spin.
Overton is being trusted as England’s pivot. After the memorable win in Rajkot, the captain Jos Buttler described Overton as “gold dust” – as a triple-threat cricketer who bats, bowls and fields well. “We know he’ll come good,” added Buttler.
While for much of this series, he has looked a position or two too high in the order, he has impressed in his role as the fourth quick bowler in a seam-heavy attack. He has hammered away at the top of off stump, bowled variations in the second half of the innings, and took three for 23 in Rajkot.
Right now, England’s all-rounder is an emblem for the team, who have a batting order struggling to play spin, and a bowling line-up keeping them in games. Can he fulfil the role of a genuine all-rounder?
Read Will’s thoughts in full here...
12:50 PM GMT
Preview: A pinch of Salt
Good afternoon and welcome to live coverage of the fourth T20 of the five match India vs England series which stands at 2-1 by virtue of England’s exceptional bowling performance in Rajkot. England have not played a T20 in Pune since 2012. So Long Agos and Worlds Apart, in the words of the Small Faces, that one could bamboozle even Leslie Welch or our own Tim Wigmore if one asked then to name the England side that day. Amaze your friends by informing them that the XI who lost by five wickets was Michael Lumb, Alex Hales, Luke Wright, Eoin Morgan (capt), Samit Patel, Jos Buttler (wk), Tim Bresnan, James Tredwell, Stuart Meaker, Danny Briggs and Jade Dernbach. You would be the life and soul of any party with the knowledge that Stuart Meaker bowled Virat Kohli out for 21.
Anyway, England will definitely make one change today with Jacob Bethell returning for Jamie Smith, who aggravated a calf strain in Rajkot, while Saqib Mahmood may come in for one of the express merchants, Jofra Archer or Mark Wood. During New Zealand’s astonishint 3-0 Test victory over India last autumn, they played one Test in Pune and Mitchell Santer took 13 wickets and Washington Sundar 11 which ought to make Rehan Ahmed the prime candidate to come in but I think Buttler will be happy to have Liam Livingstone up his sleeve rather than another frontline spinner.
Having lost three on the trot, a hypothesis that Buttler was a useless tosser has been demolished by the stats. He has in fact won 27 of 49 in T20s and 45 of 88 across white-ball internationals. England have been put in three times so far but Pune is generally a bat first ground so it will be intriguing to see what the captains will do.
Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav have struggled so far, troubled by England’s lightning quicks, and they could do with a score, as could Phil Salt, whose three blistering T20I centuries were all made in the Caribbean. Unlike the rest of the line-up he has proved vulnerable to pace rather than Axar Patel and Varun Chakravarthy, mistiming attacking strokes off the quicks on sticky pitches and caught in the legside. Such is his record and the management’s faith in him that surmounting those difficulties today will probably depend more on the pitch than him modifying his approach.
