Sanju Samson, from behind the stumps, was an energetic presence for India against England in the third T20I in Rajkot on Tuesday. He even convinced India captain Suryakumar Yadav in taking a DRS which turned out to be the right call. On the final ball of the 10th over, Buttler went for a reverse sweep against Varun Chakravarthy. The ball was positioned very close to the gloves and Samson grabbed it. The wicketkeeper started appealing and celebrating. He was the only Indian player who looked animated. The on-field umpire gave him not out. But Samson kept persisting and SKY relented after a while. Even Chakravarthy, the bowler, was not as convinced as Samson.
But ultimately, Samson’s decision was right.
#VarunChakaravarthy breaks the partnership!
A successful review by #TeamIndia and #JosButtler has to walk back!
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— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 28, 2025
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami made a solid comeback to international cricket after 14 months but it was Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling effort that stood out as his five-wicket haul helped India limit England to 171/9 in the third T20 here on Tuesday.
England lost their way after a whirlwind fifty from Ben Duckett (51 off 28) as the in-form Chakravarthy ran through the opposition batting on a flat track.
From 83 for one, England slipped to 127 for eight before Liam Livingstone (43 off 24) went on a six-hitting spree to end the innings on a high.
Chakravarthy completed his second five-wicket haul in T20s when he bowled Jofra Archer with a googly.
While Ravi Bishnoi (4/46 in 4 overs) and Washington Sundar (0/15 in 1) proved expensive, Chakravarthy (5/24 in four) and Axar Patel (1/19 in 3) kept things tight from their end.
After being put in to bat, England made a promising start by coasting to 52/1.
England have struggled against the Indian spinners in the series but Duckett overcame that challenge with some audacious strokeplay on way to his second T20 fifty. He danced down the track, employed the scoop and reverse hits to unsettle the opposition attack.
He was the aggressor in his 76-run stand with skipper Jos Buttler (24 off 22) but the duo fell in quick succession to lose the momentum in the middle overs. Among the shots Duckett pulled off included a scoop over the keeper’s head off Shami’s second over.
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