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PIX: Suryakumar's century in vain as India lose 3rd T20

Last updated on: July 10, 2022 23:35 IST

Images from the third and final T20 International between England and India at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Sunday.

IMAGE: Suryakumar Yadav celebrates completing his century during the third T20 International against England at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Sunday. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Suryakumar Yadav smashed a magnificent century but England held their nerve in a high-scoring thriller to win the third and final T20I by 17 runs and avoid the series sweep, in Nottingham, in Sunday.

 

Dawid Malan hit a sublime 77 off 39 balls as England put India's second string attack to sword to finish with a mammoth 215/7 in their 20 overs after they elected to bat.

Suryakumar (117 off 55 balls) kept India in the hunt with his classy effort but lacked support from other batters while chasing the huge target as the visitors finished on 198/9.

Shreyas Iyer (28 from 23 balls) was the only other India batter to get past the 20-run mark for the Indians, who had already sealed the three-match series 2-0 by winning the first two games in Southampton and Birmingham.

Pacer Reece Topley bagged 3/22, while David Willey and Chris Jordan picked up two wickets each.

IMAGE: Suryakumar Yadav is the fifth Indian to score a hundred in T20 Internationals. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

India were on the backfoot right at the start of the run chase, struggling to 31/3 in five overs.

Openers Rohit Sharma (11) and Rishabh Pant (1)  perished cheaply and it was another failure for Virat Kohli (11), who was caught at cover while trying to manufacture a third consecutive hit after hitting a four and a straight six off David Willey.
 
Suryakumar brought India back into the game with a 119-run stand with fellow Mumbai player Iyer, who was a spectator to his partner's brilliance for the major part of the partnership.

As he often does, Suryakumar toyed with the opposition bowlers and picked his shots all around the ground.

IMAGE: Pacer Reece Topley celebrates the wicket of Rishabh Pant. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

The highlights of his glorious innings was the two lofted square drives off pacers Richard Gleeson and Chrish Jordan that went all the way for six.

He became the fifth Indian to score a hundred in T20 Internationals by opening the face of the bat and guiding a low full toss off Willey between backward point and short third man.

His innings comprised 14 fours and half a dozen sixes.

Suryakumar single-handedly brought the equation down to gettable 66 off 30 balls before running out of partners at the other end.

IMAGE: Dawid Malan blasted a quickfire half-century to power England to a huge total. Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Earlier, Dawid Malan made a sublime 77 off 39 balls as England put India's second string attack to sword to finish with a mammoth 215 for seven.

 

Opting to bat, skipper Jos Buttler (18 off 9 balls) and Jason Roy (27 off 26) gave England a quickfire start as they raced to 52/1 in six overs. Malan and Liam Livingstone (42 not out off 29) boosted the total in the middle overs courtesy of an entertaining 84-run partnership to lay the platform for a massive total.

Having already sealed the series, India rested their frontline bowlers in Jasprit Bumrah, in-form Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yuzvendra Chahal, besides star all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

IMAGE: Liam Livingstone hits a six. Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

India's young pace attack were taken to the cleaners by a power-packed England batting line-up which had disappointed in the first two games. Ravi Bishnoi's effort of 2/30 in four overs was the only silver lining in an otherwise ordinary bowling performance.

Buttler punished the inexperienced Umran Malik during his brief stay, collecting two fours and a six off the Indian's opening over that yielded 17 runs.

Avesh Khan foxed Buttler with a slower ball which he dragged back on to the stumps.

After Roy was caught behind off Malik, Malan changed gears and played some splendid cricketing shots that he is known for.

He comfortably swept the spinners for maximums and was quick on the pull and cut against the pacers.

IMAGE: Philip Salt is bowled by Harshal Patel. Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Out of the five sixes, Malan's slog sweep off Ravindra Jadeja over square leg and pick up shot over midwicket off a low full toss from Avesh stood out.

As he often does, Livingstone dealt in sixes as he hit four of them and alongside Harry Brook (19 off) and Chris Jordan (11 off 3) fired England past 200.

Livingstone got a lifeline when he was dropped by Virat Kohli in the deep.

England amassed as many as 129 runs in the last 10 overs.

Malik leaked the most runs for India, ending with figures of 1/56 in four overs.