England skipper Eoin Morgan admitted that India played better and thoroughly deserved to win the fourth T20I at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad by eight runs.
India posted a par score of 185 runs and then they were able to successfully defend it despite the arduous dew conditions.
The Indian spinners – Washington Sundar and Rahul Chahar – had a tough day at the office as the duo leaked 87 runs in their eight overs but the seamers were able to do the job for the Virat Kohli-led team.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav batted for the first time in International cricket and scored a six on the first ball he faced. The Mumbai batsman expressed himself on the field and scored a fine knock of 57 runs from 31 balls he faced. Shreyas Iyer added the finishing touches as he scored 37 runs from 18 balls and he was able to hit the ground running.
On the other hand, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow were all guns blazing in the run-chase as the former scored his last 37 runs off just 14 balls. However, India got back into the contest when Shardul Thakur dismissed Stokes and Eoin Morgan on consecutive balls.
23 runs were needed in the final over for England and Jofra Archer gave a glimmer of hope by hitting a four and a six but Shardul Thakur was able to keep his calm.
Eoin Morgan said in the post-match presentation, “It’s definitely been the closest game so far and India played much better and thoroughly deserve the win. There was a lot more dew throughout the game and the game ebbed and flowed a lot. The swing and momentum of the game went back to India and the last over made it interesting. We are just trying to learn as much as we can in this series. The progression to the World Cup in seven months is important. We were very happy at the halfway stage knowing that dew was around. The ball didn’t turn much and we were in control”.
Morgan added that the turning point of the match was when they lost wickets in a heap in the 16th and 17th over and thus couldn’t get back into the contest.
Morgan added, “In overs 16 and 17 we lost three wickets in eight balls and that set us back. It just leaves too much for the bowlers against a top-quality side. Bairstow and Stokes got themselves in. Starting fresh isn’t easy, but they managed to negate that. Their experience took over and they took their options. Frustrating though then in the end to not get through despite the experience we have. We really want to play in must-win games like these. Certainly all to play for now. Playing away from home and winning will be great”.
The series is now tied 2-2 and the decider will be played on Saturday.
