England lost their last eight wickets for eight runs as India powered to a 75-run win in the third Twenty20 in Bangalore to take the series 2-1.
Chasing 203, England were 117-2 with seven overs to go after three Eoin Morgan sixes in a Suresh Raina over. But leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (6-25) got Morgan and Joe Root in successive balls and England fell to 127 all out.
Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni both made half-centuries in India’s 202-6, while Yuvraj Singh blasted 27 from 10 balls. That was total was around par on a surface ideal for batting, but the sort of collapse that characterised the Test series loss means that England have suffered a series defeat in all three formats.
Although Morgan’s men competed best in the T20s, they have lost a series in which they won the toss on all three occasions. Whereas their bowlers impressed in the opening two matches, here they were blitzed, with the batsmen falling in a familiar heap against leg-spin.
England spun out again
England have only once successfully chased more than 200 to win a T20 international, but were well placed despite opener Sam Billings falling to the first ball he faced – an inside edge onto his boot that found slip and gave Chalal his first wicket.
Jason Roy wasted a good start – his 23-ball 32 ended when he top-edged the second of India’s leg-spinners Amit Mishra – only for Morgan to arrive and pick up the pursuit. Targeting the part-time off-spin of Raina, Morgan belted 22 from the 12th over of the innings to leave England needing 89 from the final eight.
However, with Root beginning to struggle at the other end – he went 13 deliveries without finding the boundary, Morgan was held on the leg-side boundary off the returning Chahal and, from the next ball, Root was pinned leg-before. From there, it was a procession as Chahal and second T20 match-winner Jasprit Bumrah ran through the lower order.
Jos Buttler miscued pacer Bumrah to mid-off, Moeen Ali fetched Chalal to long-on and Ben Stokes pulled the same bowler to deep mid-wicket. Liam Plunkett, Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills all failed to score as the last eight wickets went down in only 19 balls. (BBC Sport)
