Pune, Jan 31 (IANS) Harshit Rana, after delivering a match-winning spell of 3-33 on his first T20I, said “It is still a dream debut for me” as India clinched the series 3-1 with a 15-run victory over England in the fourth T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here on Friday night.
Rana’s late introduction as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube proved to be a turning point, as he scalped three wickets for 33 runs, rattling England’s middle and lower-order just when the visitors seemed to be building momentum in their chase of 182.
“It is still a dream debut for me. When Dube came back, after two overs I was informed I would be the concussion substitute. It is not just for this series, I have been waiting for an opportunity for a long time and I wanted to prove I belong here. I have bowled well in the IPL and was just following the same here,” said Rana after the match.
Earlier in the game, India found themselves in early trouble after England’s Saqib Mahmood etched his name in the record books with a triple-wicket maiden, the first-ever in men’s T20 internationals. He removed Sanju Samson (1), Tilak Varma (0), and Suryakumar Yadav (0) in quick succession, reducing India to 12/3 within two overs. Amidst the early collapse, Hardik Pandya (53) and Shivam Dube (53) revived India’s innings, forging a crucial 88-run partnership that propelled the hosts to a competitive 181/9.
England’s openers, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett, came out aggressively, punishing India’s seamers during the Power-play. Duckett was particularly ruthless, sweeping and reverse-sweeping the spinners with ease, racing to 39 off just 19 balls. England seemed well in control at 62/0 in six overs.
However, Ravi Bishnoi’s introduction changed the course of the game. He dismissed Duckett off the final ball of the Power-play, triggering an England collapse. Soon after, Axar Patel cleaned up Salt (23) with a delivery that skidded through, and Bishnoi struck again to send England skipper Jos Buttler back for just 2 runs, leaving England 67/3 in eight overs.
With England losing momentum, Harry Brook took charge, showing confidence against India’s pacers. He brought up a fighting fifty off 26 balls, keeping England in the chase. But just when England looked to regain control, Varun Chakravarthy produced a game-changing over, dismissing Brook (51) and Brydon Carse in quick succession. Making his debut under dramatic circumstances, Rana wasted no time making an impact. He struck immediately, dismissing Liam Livingstone (9) with a sharp bouncer that induced an edge to the keeper.
With the required run rate climbing, England’s lower order crumbled. Jacob Bethell (6) miscued a slower delivery straight to Suryakumar Yadav at long-on, and in the very next over, Ravi Bishnoi cleaned up Jofra Archer with a ripping leg-break. Rana returned to finish the job, removing Jamie Overton in his final over, capping off a dream debut with figures of 3/33. Arshdeep Singh then wrapped up the innings, dismissing Saqib Mahmood to seal India’s 15-run win.
With this victory, India secured the five-match series 3-1, heading into the final T20I at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai with the series already in the bag.
–IANS
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