New Delhi: India are currently facing England in the third T20I of their five-match series at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. The Men in Blue are aiming to seal a victory and take an unassailable 3-0 lead, with two matches left to secure the series win. One player India had high hopes for in this crucial match was their lead spinner, Varun Chakravarthy. And he delivered exactly what was needed, continuing his brilliant form.
Varun Chakravarthy tore through the England batting lineup, claiming 5 wickets for just 24 runs in his four overs. Prior to this match, Chakravarthy had already picked up 5 wickets in the series — 3 in the first T20I and 2 in the second. With his performance today, he now has 10 wickets in the series, becoming the first player in history to take 10 wickets in a single bilateral T20I series between India and England.
Varun Chakravarthy delivered an outstanding performance in the third T20I, picking up the wickets of Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer. With this brilliant spell, he becomes the third Indian player to register more than one five-wicket haul in T20I cricket. His remarkable performance has not only helped India take control of the match but also cemented his place as one of the most effective spinners in the shortest format of the game.
Here are the players with five-wicket hauls for India in T20Is:
2 – Varun Chakravarthy (vs South Africa, England)
2 – Kuldeep Yadav (vs England, South Africa)
2 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vs South Africa, Afghanistan)
1 – Yuzvendra Chahal (vs England)
1 – Deepak Chahar (vs Bangladesh)
England’s score: 171/9 after 20 overs.
India won the toss and elected to bowl first. England got off to a poor start as Hardik Pandya removed Phil Salt early. However, Jos Buttler and Ben Duckett steadied the innings with a solid half-century partnership. But the Indian spinners, especially Varun Chakravarthy, dominated the middle overs, running through the English batting line-up. Liam Livingstone fought hard, scoring 43, but England could only manage 171/9 at the end of the 20 overs.
