India vs England Highlights, 3rd T20I: England bowlers on top, defeat India by 26 runs as Hardik Pandya’s 40 goes in vain

Shami gives the crowd something to cheer about as he hits a monstrous 6 off Overton but the England bowler gets his revenge in the same over as he snaps up the India pacer. Shami hits it high and Brook can take the catch!!

Shami c Brook b Jamie Overton 7(4)

41 runs from 12 deliveries now. England can almost smell victory but you never know with Hardik in the middle. Jamie Overton will bowl this one and would you know it!! He has snapped up Hardik and snuffed out India's chances in this match!!

Hardik Pandya c Buttler b Jamie Overton 40(35) 

Jofra Archer back in the attack and Hardik with a single to go off strike. Axar will face the pacer now and he is gone!! Shuffles away from the wicket and slices the full length delivery straight to Adil Rashid!!

Axar c Adil Rashid b Jofra Archer 15(16)

India need 64 from 4 overs now. Looks pretty steep unless something big happens. Wood in the attack and starts with a wide. And the next ball is tonked over the ropes for a 6 by Pandya!!! That's what India need. 2 runs more next as Hardik retains strike. The over ends with a 4. 14 from this one. IND 122/5 after 17 overs

Brydon Carse back in the attack and Axar with a single to start this over off. Hardik on strike and he gets a single from leg byes. Axar swings and misses the 3rd delivery before taking a single off the 4th. Axar with a boundary to finish this one. IND 108/5 after 16 overs

Jamie Overton continues and Hardik smashes the first delivery down the ground for a 4. A boundary after 45 balls!! Two singles next as the batters rotate strike. This is followed by 2 runs by Hardik as he is looking to shift gears. Over ends with another single as India get to 100. IND 100/5 after 15 overs

Rsahid in to bowl the last over of his spell. Starts with a dot before Axar takes a single to give Hardik the strike. Hardik with a single of his own next. Might have taken 2 but Hardik is not interested. Two singles more from the next 2 deliveries as Rashid stifles the batters. And now a review for LBW on Axar. Loud shout by the spinner. Stumps missing. England lose another review. ENG 90/5 after 14 overs 

Overton in the attack and washington tries to get a move on only to play a shot that is easily taken by Buttler near the mid-off mark!! India in a heap of trouble now. 

Washington Sundar c Buttler b Jamie Overton 6(15)

Rashid into his 3rd over and starts with back to back dots before Sundar takes a single. Hardik with a single of his own as the batters deal in singles. The crowd is getting restless now. A referral for stump out by the umpires now. Sundar's foot is inside the crease and he survives. Just 3 from the over. IND 85/4 after 12 overs

Jamie Overton in the attack now and he concedes just 3 runs from the first 4 deliveries as the India batters struggle to get away. The boundaries have dried up and the over ends with just another single. IND 82/4 after 11 overs

Rashi will continue and Sundar takes a single off the second ball to put Hardik on strike. That might have been out but falls just short of the long off fielder. Uff unlucky for the bowler as Sundar gets a 4 off leg byes. Just 6 from this one. IND 78/4 after 10 overs

Brydon Carse back in the attack and yields two singles from the first couple of deliveries. No runs from the next couple of balls as Hardik is rooted to the spot. 2 more to end the over. IND 72/4 after 9 overs

England continues with spin as Adil Rashid comes in. 3 runs from the first couple of deliveries as the IND batters keep rotating strikes. A little bit of a rebuilding phase for India now. And just as they were getting comfortable, Rashid sends back Tilak!! Right through the defence and Tilak is dismissed for the first time this series!!

Tilak Varma b Adil Rashid 18(14)

First over after powerplay and Buttler has given the ball to Liam Livingstone. Tilak with a single to start this one off. Hardik with a single to return the favour. And the next delivery, Tilak smashes the ball out of he park for a 6!!! Straight down the ground it goes!! 3 singles to end the over. IND 62/3 after 7 overs

Wood to bowl the last over of the powerplay and he has struck!! Surya hits the first ball high and not wide!! That goes straight up and Phil Salt with a brilliant catch behind the wickets!!

Suryakumar Yadav c Philip Salt b Mark Wood 14(7)

Archer in to bowl the next over and SKY with his trademark shot over the fine leg boundary for a 6!!! Takes 2 next and follows that up with a four!! He lloks to be in the mood tonight. A single next and Tilak is put on strike. Nothing from the last two deliveries. IND 48/2 after 5 overs

A bit of hold up in play as Jmaie Smith leaves the field. The calf injury that Buttler had said at the toss might have flared up again. Salt takes the keeper's gloves now and Bethell is in as a sub. Tilak slaps a boundary to start his innings. IND 35/32 after 4 overs

Brydon Carse in the attack now and Abhishek starts him off with a boundary to third man!! Didn't go to the place he intended but he'll take it. Swings and misses the next ball before smashing another boundary!! And next ball, he's gone!!! He goes for a big hit!! Did not get the distance and Jofra Archer takes a brilliant running catch!!

Abhishek Sharma c Jofra Archer b Brydon Carse 24(14) 

Archer will continue and after Abhishek takes a single, Sanju falls!!! He tries to go for a big hit, gets cramped for room and has played it straight into the palms of Adil Rashid. India lose 1st wicket!!

Samson c Adil Rashid b Jofra Archer 3(6)

Mark Wood in the attack now and starts with a wide. Sanju takes a single off the next ball and Abhishek is on strike. Will he go all out or will he be cautious? All out it is as Abhishek goes over the in-field and gets his first boundary!!! Follows that up with a straight shot which reaches the long on boundary!! Another one goes in to the air but drops safely for a single. 12 from this over. IND 15/0 after 2 overs

Here come the batters Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma. Archer in to bowl and Samson swings at third man and gets a single to start. Back to back dots next as Abhishek is cautious in the early going. Finally he swipes for a single to go off strike. Samson with a singe of his own to end the over. IND 3/0 after 1 over

Hardik to finish and Wood takes a single to start. Rashid with a single of his own to return the favour. The next two deliveries yield two more singles. Two wides now as the over continues. 2 more to end. England finish at 171/9

Shami will bolw the penultimate over. Can he get a wicket in his comeback match? Rashid spoils the party with a 4 to start!! Takes a single next to put Wood on strike. A no ball now. That almost hit the player on his head!! Free hit time. Nothing off the free hit as Wood swings and misses. 11 from this over. Valuable runs these. ENG 162/9 after 19 overs

Pace back as Hardik will bowl the 18th. Starts with a wide. And he has struck!!! Livingstone tries to go for another big shot and Dhruv Jurel takes another catch!!

Livingstone c Dhruv Jurel b Hardik Pandya 43(24)

Now it's all about Livingstone and India. He smashes back to back sixes off Ravi Bishnoi, showing his team how to do it!! A rare dot next before Livingstone smashes another monster to dep midwicket!! Oh dear god!! What power!! 19 from this over. ENG 146/8 after 17 overs

And would you believe it!! Varun has struck again. That's his 5th!! Archer had no idea what hit him!! Marvellous bowling by Varun!! Archer comes forward, the ball goes through his defence and smashes the stumps!!

Jofra Archer b Varun Chakravarthy 0(2)

Varun to finish his spell with this over. Carse with a single to start, followed by 2 runs from Livingstone. A bit of a misfield by Bishnoi. 1 more added to the total. And that's another gone as Carse tries to go for a big shot!! That's wicket number 4 for Varun

Brydon Carse c Tilak Varma b Varun Chakravarthy 3(4)

Bishnoi continues and Carse with a single to start. Livingstone sees off the next two balls before going down on one knee and smashing a six!! 7 from this over ultimately. ENG 123/6 after 15 overs

Oh dear me!! Now what has happened here. Varun has taken another in the same over!!! Jamie Overton is gone first ball as Varun tries a googly and it crashes into the exposed leg stump of the batter!!

Jamie Overton b Varun Chakravarthy 0(1)

Varun back in the attack and Livingstone takes a single to start. Jamie Smith on strike and he has absolutely smashed it down the ground for a 6!!! Tries again and this time picks out the deep midwicket player perfectly. Jurel with the catch and england lose half their side.

Jamie Smith c Dhruv Jurel b Varun Chakravarthy 6(4)

Ravi Bishnoi back in the attack and Brook takes a single to start before Livingstone swipes the next delivery for a 4!! India would be pretty wary of this man's hitting power. Tries again but this time gets just 1 run. AND GONE!!! Another wrong-un, another dismissal of Harry Brook as he drags this one on to his stumps. He shakes his head while walking away. 

Brook b Ravi Bishnoi 8(10)

Axar in the attack again and Livingstone has smashed the second ball over long on for a 6!! 85-m to boot!! Brook on strike now and he takes 2. That's 100 up for England. Axar ends the over with a wicked turn that evades Brooke. ENG 101/3 after 12 overs

Abhishek Sharma brought into the attack now by Surya. Surprising he did not give Varun another. But the SRH player concedes just 4 from his over. ENG 91/3 after 11 overs

Axar in the atatck next and Duckett takes a single to bring up his 50!! Two more singles from the batters as England deal in singles in this over. ANNNND THAT'S ANOTHER ONE GONE!! Duckett tries to go again and he has played it straight into the hands of Abhsihek Sharma in the deep!!!

Duckett c Abhishek Sharma b Axar 51(28)

Varun Chakravarthy continues and Buttler takes a single. The next ball is a wide as Duckett tries a sweep and misses. Catches the next ball as he would have hoped and lofts it over the bowler's head for a boundary!! Takes 2 next and keeps strike. And is Buttler gone now? Sanju thinks so. The umpire doesn't. Will India review? Yes. Ball is pretty close to the gloves. Is there a deviation? We wait for UltraEdge. And yes!! There's a clear spike. Buttler departs.

Buttler c Samson b Varun Chakravarthy 24(22) 

India persist with spn as Axar is brought into the attack. Starts this one off with a single as Buttler goes off strike. Duckett tries a sweep but finds a fielder for one more. Bad luck as the 5th ball goes through everyone for 4 byes!! England steady. ENG 74/1 after 8 overs

Bishnoi in the attack now and Buttler with a single to start this one off. Duckett returns the favour with a single of his own as India put on the brakes. And Buttler reverse sweeps for a boundary which just evades a fielder!!! Comes down the ground next and smashes it high into the night sky for a huge six!!! 13 off the over. ENG 65/1 after 7 overs

Varun to bowl the last over inside the powerplay and Buttler takes a single to bring up England's 50. Duckett on strike and after a dot, he brings out the switch-hit but gets only one. Buttler with a single to rotate strike again. Excellent over. Just 3 conceded. ENG 52/1 after 6 overs 

Washington Sundar in the attack now and this time Duckett places the second ball to the extra cover gap for a boundary. The next ball, he goes again and slog sweeps for boundary number 2 in this over!! Comes down the ground next and smashes the next ball over the bowler's head for a 6!! India are flabbergasted!! Oh!! India have gone up for a review now as Duckett misses a slog sweep. It's pitching outside off. India lose a review. ENG 49/1 after 5 overs

Hardik into his 2nd over and he takles pace off as Buttler swings and misses before taking a single to go off strike. Pretty tight run but he makes it. Excellent fielding by Jurel to keep Duckett rooted in his spot as he stops a sure-shot boundary. Duckett pulls the next ball towards deep midwicket for a four!! Follows that up with another one, this time towards sweeper cover!! Excellent batting. And that's a hattrick as Duckett finishes the over with another four!! ENG 34/1 after 4 overs

Shami continues and what a ripper to start his second over. Angles away from the bat, might have even kissed the outside edge but we will never know as Samson can't gather the ball. And Buttler hits the next ball over the infield but it's not perfectly timed so the fielder gets to it. Just 2 runs. Brilliant ramp shot by Duckett to end the over with a SIX!!!. ENG 21/1 after 3 overs 

Hardik Pandya in to bowl the second over and takes the pace off immediately leading Duckett to defend. Follows it up with a great bouncer. And Salt tries to smash the 3rd ball and he has played it straight into the hands of Abhishek Sharma. Not happening in this series for Salt.

Philip Salt c Abhishek Sharma b Hardik Pandya 5(7)

And here comes Mohammad Shami, steaming in for his first India involvement in 14 months. Salt on strike and after a dot, the England batter strikes the next ball straight down the ground for a 4!!! This outfield is quick!! 6 from this over ultimately. ENG 6/0 after 1 over

It's almost time for live action to resume. The pitch in Rajkot promises plenty of hard-hitting action. Let's sit back and enjoy the entertainment that is limited-overs cricket

Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith(w), Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Dhruv Jurel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy

Suryakumar Yadav: We will bowl first, looks nice and hard, don't think it will change later as well. Rajkot has always been a good track, sure it will be a sporting one. We wanted to play a different brand of cricket but at the same time you need to understand the situation and he (Tilak) bailed the side out. We'll look at it as a 3 game series from here, boys are charged up. Arshdeep is resting, Shami comes in.

Jos Buttler: Looks a really good surface, looking forward to batting. We would've chased as well. Looks a good wicket, guys have had a good practice yesterday and we're excited for the match. Was a really good game of cricket, we fought really hard and pushed them all the way. We need to play really well tonight. We know how well India play, they're a strong team. We need a good total to defend. Same team but Jamie Smith will keep wickets, Salt has got a little stiff calf.

It's toss time. Here goes the coin and India win toss, opt to bowl first against England at Rajkot. Mohammad Shami returns to the national side after 14 months away

Feb 22: Australia vs England (Champions Trophy) at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Feb 26: Afghanistan vs England (Champions Trophy) at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Mar 1: South Africa vs England (Champions Trophy) at National Stadium, Karachi

May 22 - May 25: England vs Zimbabwe 4-day Test at Trent Bridge, Nottingham

May 29: England vs West Indies, 1st ODI at Edgbaston, Birmingham

Jun 1: England vs West Indies, 2nd ODI at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Jun 3: England vs West Indies, 3rd ODI at Kennington Oval, London

Jun 6: England vs West Indies, 1st T20I at Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

Jun 8: England vs West Indies, 2nd T20I at County Ground, Bristol

Jun 10: England vs West Indies, 3rd T20I at The Rose Bowl, Southampton

Jun 20 - Jun 24: England vs India, 1st Test at Headingley, Leeds

Jul 02 - Jul 06: England vs India, 2nd Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham

Jul 10 - Jul 14: England vs India, 3rd Test at Lord's, London

Jul 23 - Jul 27: England vs India, 4th Test at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

Jul 31 - Aug 04: England vs India, 5th Test at Kennington Oval, London

England vs South Africa, 1st ODI at Headingley, Leeds

England vs South Africa, 2nd ODI at Lord's, London

England vs South Africa, 3rd ODI at The Rose Bowl, Southampton

England vs South Africa, 1st T20I at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

England vs South Africa, 2nd T20I at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

England vs South Africa, 3rd T20I at Trent Bridge, Nottingham

Ireland vs England, 1st ODI 

Ireland vs England, 2nd ODI

Ireland vs England, 3rd ODI

Arshdeep Singh might be rested in this match as live visuals show Mohammad Shami warming up, Will he play his first match in India colours in over 14 months? Let's wait and watch.

Feb 20: Bangladesh vs India (Champions Trophy) at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Feb 23: Pakistan vs India (Champions Trophy) at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Mar 2: New Zealand vs India (Champions Trophy) at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Jun 20 - Jun 24: England vs India, 1st Test at Headingley, Leeds

Jul 02 - Jul 06: England vs India, 2nd Test at Edgbaston, Birmingham

Jul 10 - Jul 14: England vs India, 3rd Test at Lord's, London

Jul 23 - Jul 27: England vs India, 4th Test at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester

Jul 31 - Aug 04: England vs India, 5th Test at Kennington Oval, London

India's leading T20I spinner, Varun Chakravarthy, has attributed his recent success to consistent participation in domestic tournaments. The 33-year-old, who was awarded the Man of the Match in the first T20I against England, highlighted the importance of maintaining match fitness and rhythm through domestic competitions.

"Definitely the level of cricket in domestic cricket is very high. I would say it's almost on par with the IPL and other international matches we play," Chakravarthy said in Chennai. Chakravarthy emphasized the value of tournaments like the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) and Vijay Hazare Trophy, which helped him maintain his form and sharpness between international assignments.

India's match-winner in the second T20I against England, Tilak Varma, revealed his strategy behind targeting star pacer Jofra Archer.    Varma, who scored a crucial unbeaten 72 off 55 balls, plundered 30 runs off just nine deliveries from Archer, including four sixes. This aggressive approach proved instrumental in India's thrilling two-wicket victory.  "If you see, I want to target their best bowlers," Varma explained in the post-match press conference. "If you take on the best bowlers, other bowlers will be under pressure."

India have played England 27 times in the shortest format with the Men in Blue winning 16 times and England emerging victorious 11 times

There have been 5 T20 matches played in the Niranjan Shah Stadium with the team batting first winning 3 while the team bowling first winning 2. The highest total recorded in this ground was 228 by India against Sri Lanka in 2023 while the lowest total recorded here was 87 all out by South Africa against India in 2022.

The highest recorded chase was also by India when they chased down 202 vs Australia in 2013 while the lowest score defended here was by New Zealand in 2017 when they defended 196 against India. 

In other news, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, who is currenty recuperating with a back spasm, was on Tuesday awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for ICC Men's Cricketer of the Year.

Bumrah who played a crucial part for India in the recently-concluded BGT series and the T20 World Cup, is racing against time to make it to India's Champions Trophy matches later in February.

India: Sanju Samson(w), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Dhruv Jurel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana

England: Philip Salt(w), Ben Duckett, Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Rehan Ahmed

Tilak Varma's celebration after helping India win the 2nd T20I was a sight to behold, reminiscent of a scene from an epic movie. His teammates erupted in applause, acknowledging his crucial contribution to the team's success. While Varma has already showcased his talent with two centuries in South Africa, his performance in Chennai was particularly impressive due to the challenging nature of the pitch. The slow and two-paced track presented a significant hurdle for both teams, making his unbeaten knock even more significant.

This victory further solidified Varma's position as a key player in India's T20 future, and highlighted the team's ability to overcome challenges and secure victories in difficult conditions.

Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have been pretty efficient against the Indian top-order, especially in the last match in Chennai. If not for Tilak Verma's resilience, England could have walked away with a victory. With the Rajkot wicket set to assist pacers, expect the England quicks to make an impact ina  do or die game.