Rohit’s century blows England away in decider
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India celebrate the series win after the third T20 cricket match with England at the Brightside Ground in Bristol, England, on Sunday. Rohit Sharma’s 56- ball unbeaten century made it a walk in the park for India as they cruised to a seven- wicket victory, while chasing 198, to clinch the series 2- 1.
Bristol, July 8: Rohit Sharma backed up the heroics of pace bowler Hardik Pandya by hitting 100 not out as India clinched the T20 international series at Bristol.
Sharma became only the second Indian to pass 2,000 runs in this format as India chased down their target of 199 with eight balls and seven wickets to spare.
Pandya took 4/ 38, his best figures in T20 cricket and M. S. Dhoni became the first player to take five catches in international T20 and ran out Chris Jordan on the last ball of England’s innings for good measure.
England batted first and threatened to post a huge score before Pandya and Dhoni pinned them back and the hosts finished on 198/ 9 after their 20 overs.
England threatened to run away with the final match of a series tied 1- 1 and post a massive total but fast medium Pandya took 4/ 38.
Indian keeper Dhoni became the first player to take five catches in a T20 international.
The hosts made a flying start thanks to Joss Buttler and Jason Roy, with Roy making 67 from 31 balls and England looked set for score of over 240 before Pandya applied the brakes.
He dismissed Alex Hales, Eoin Morgan, the returning Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow to pick up his best figures in any T20 cricket and after conceding 22 off his first over.
England were rapidly out of the blocks after being put in by Indian captain Virat Kohli with the ball flying to all parts off Buttler’s bat.
Deepak Chahar’s first over in international T20 cricket, and the first of the innings, cost 13 runs with Buttler accounting for 12 of them and within four overs England were 43/ 0.
Roy gave one tough chance on 38 when Chahar could not hold onto a steepling catch at deep cover and got to 50 off 23 balls. Buttler was out for 34 but Roy kept blasting away making the most of the short boundaries at the County Ground.
In all he hit seven sixes, equalling the most by an England batsman in T20, before he feathered a catch off Deepak Chahar to keeper Dhoni.
It was India’s seventh T20 series win in succession.