Sanju Samson behind the stumps proved to be a real source of energy for India against England during the third T20 International in Rajkot on Tuesday. He even managed to persuade India captain Suryakumar Yadav into taking a review which proved to be the right decision. Buttler attempted a reverse sweep against Varun Chakravarthy off the last ball of the 10th over. The ball went to the gloves area and was collected by Samson. He started appealing and jubilating. In fact, of all the Indian players, he looked the most animated. The on-field umpire stood firm with his not out decision. But Samson kept on and finally, after a while, SKY relented. Even Chakravarthy, the bowler, was not as convinced as was Samson.
But then, it was fortune that smiled upon Samson.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami made a roaring comeback to international cricket after 14 long months but it was Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling where the real credit came: his five-wicket haul had England restricted to a total of 171 for nine in the third T20I on Tuesday here.
England proceeded smoothly at 52 for one before they were stuck in a rut after a whirlwind fifty from Ben Duckett (51 off 28) that saw the in-form Chakravarthy uncover the opposition batting on a flat track.
From 83 for one, England slipped to 127 for eight before Liam Livingstone (43 off 24) went on a six-hitting spree to give the innings the momentum.
Chakravarthy picked his second five-wicket haul in T20s, bowling Jofra Archer with a googly.
While Ravi Bishnoi (4/46 in 4 overs) and Washington Sundar (0/15 in 1) were a bit expensive, Chakravarthy (5/24 in 4) and Axar Patel (1/19 in 3) kept it really tight from their end.
England were put into bat and got off to a decent start with 52 for 1.
The England side has not fared well against the Indian spinners, but Duckett silenced the critics with some breathtaking stroke play for his second T20 half-century. He made forays to the pitch of the ball, using the scoop and reverse hits to keep the attack on course.
He was more aggressive in his 76-run partnership with captain Jos Buttler (24 off 22) as the duo lost their wickets in quick succession, causing their side to lose steam in the middle overs. Among the shots that Duckett played were a scoop over the head of the keeper off Shami’s second over.
