Ahmedabad: A determined India beat England by eight runs in the fourth T20 International to level the five-match series 2-2 here on Thursday.Invited to bat first, India scored 185 for eight in the stipulated 20 overs, with Suryakumar Yadav (57) and Shreyas Yadav (37) doing the bulk of scoring at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Suryakumar’s 31-ball effort was his maiden half-century in international cricket and Iyer made his runs in just 18 balls, hitting five fours and a six, as India managed to put up a challenging total.
Suryakumar smashed three sixes and six fours during his stay in the middle. In reply, England were stopped at 177 for eight in their full quota of overs. All-rounder Ben Stokes top-scored for England with 46 off 23 balls while Jason Roy smashed a 27-ball 40 at the top of the order.
Virat Kohli, the Winning skipper, said, ‘Proper game against a top side in this format. The wicket was better than any other game and the dew factor was massive, bigger than any other game as well. The wicket allowed us to get to that total. There were a few instances in the middle which were strange, but having said that 180+ was what we were looking at. Special mention to Surya, he batted outstandingly well in his first game. Similar to Ishan. They are quite fearless having played in the IPL. We don’t have any T20Is after this so I want the guys to be confident and come out of it very strongly. With the ball we were quite clinical. Shardul turned it around but our powerplay start kept England in check and under pressure. [On the third umpire’s calls] There was an instance during the Test series when I was next to Jinks and he clearly caught the ball but he wasn’t sure so we went upstairs. If it is a half and half effort and the fielder is in doubt, there is no way the umpire from square leg can see it clearly. The soft signal becomes that important and it becomes tricky. I don’t know why there can’t be an ‘I don’t know’ call with the umpires as well. It is similar to umpire’s call as well. These are decisions that can change the course of the game, especially in these big games. We were on the receiving side today, and tomorrow it could be some other team. You want these ironed out and keep the game really simple and linear. It isn’t ideal in high pressure games and we want a lot of clarity on the field. [On him missing out on the field] I ran for a ball and threw it and I just aggravated my quad a little bit and I didn’t want to make it into a niggle or an injury. We have another game in two days and I took the smart decision of going out. [On Surya] It’s not easy to walk in at three in your first game and we all were stunned. He stamped his authority and allowed the likes of Shreyas, Hardik and Pant to do their job. I am a fan of these youngsters. I am more happy for Hardik who bowled his four overs. It augers well for us if he does it for us. He was potent with the new ball. He has skill with the ball and he clicked 140+ as well. He put enough pressure on Roy and then got Sam Curran out as well in the end. His role in the defence in the end was very crucial.’
Suryakumar Yadav, the MoM winner, said, ‘Really happy with the way things went. I have always dreamt of playing for India and winning games for the team. Just trying to be myself, I keep talking to myself and keep things very simple. The team management and Virat asked me to keep it simple and do what I have been doing in the IPL all along.’
