England kept their hopes of a five-match T20I series alive by clinching a crucial 26-run victory in the third game at Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium. Following the back-to-back defeat, England bounced back to stay in contention; hence the last two games became must-win games for them. For India, it is one win from sealing the series.
However, India’s loss in Rajkot sparked debates over their batting approach and the decision to bowl first on a pitch that offered grip and turn. Despite the criticism, Varun Chakravarthy, who was India’s standout performer with a five-wicket haul, defended the team’s strategy and backed the batters.
“We have two more matches to play. We need to settle a few things while also testing different batsmen,” said Varun Chakravarthy after the match, addressing the bigger issue from the Indian management’s point of view.
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He even brushed away apprehensions regarding the toss playing any big role in deciding the course of the match.
“I don’t think the toss went against us because we followed the same approach in the last two matches and won. That’s the nature of the game. Even in the previous match, things were close—we could have lost, and today, we could have won. T20 cricket is meant to be aggressive,” he explained.
Varun Chakravarthy agreed that outcomes largely define the storyline in T20 cricket, but emphasized India remains a fearless brand of cricket. “It is a result-oriented game, so I can understand criticism. But that’s what the Indian team has decided and are doing quite well with this,” he said.
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Chakravarthy shines on a personal note, finishing with 5/24 in his four overs—his figures outside of the hundred-plus that he had recorded on his debut in T20Is. His spell indeed made him the Player of the Match as it is indeed very rare for someone playing for the losing side. Although India lost the match, this spell was a reflection of his match-winning spells and an encouraging indicator going into the last two games of the series.
