Tag: Virat Kohli

Ind vs Eng 4th T20 | Suryakumar, bowlers help India buck ‘chasing’ trend and stay alive

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One-drop’s up-tempo 57 headlines batting effort which also features crucial Shreyas cameo; home side holds its nerve in wet, dewy conditions to defend a target of 186

If Ishan Kishan was unfortunate to be ruled out of the fourth T20I due to a groin strain, lady luck smiled on his replacement Suryakumar Yadav. The Mumbai cricketer, dropped for the previous outing after not having faced a ball on his debut in the second T20I, grabbed his chance and made it count.

Suryakumar’s electric 31-ball 57 was key to India’s eight-run victory, which helped the home side pull level at 2-2 in the five-match series.

The unshakable self-confidence that Suryakumar exuded came to the fore when he rocked back to pull Jofra Archer for a six in the very first ball he faced. It was a dream start to his international batting career.

Astonishing scoop

Two more maximums followed — including an astonishing scoop over fine-leg — before a questionable catch by Dawid Malan forced his dismissal.

Skipper Virat Kohli (1,5b) fell cheaply, rushing down the track to leg-spinner Adil Rashid and missing completely. Rishabh Pant (30, 23b, 4×4) and Shreyas Iyer (37, 18b, 5×4, 1×6) kept the score moving at a healthy rate, taking India to 185 for eight.

Archer finished with four for 33, his best figures in T20Is. Fellow pacer Mark Wood was all fire and bite, even if he only managed to scalp one wicket.

Roy on fire

In reply, England fought hard but paid the price for losing wickets at crucial junctures. Opener Jason Roy looked dangerous during his 27-ball 40, until a flat-batted tennis shot off Hardik Pandya landed in Suryakumar’s hands at deep mid-wicket. His opening partner Jos Buttler (9, 6b), the man-of-the-match in the third T20I, was deceived by a slower ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar, drafted in at the expense of Yuzvendra Chahal, showed great control and temperament. He cleaned up Malan, who attempted a reverse-sweep to a ball on leg-stump. Chahar returned to the attack to remove Jonny Bairstow, ending a dangerous 65-run stand between Bairstow and Ben Stokes.

Stokes shines

Stokes, meanwhile, kept the visitors in the hunt. He fancied his chances against spinners Washington Sundar and Chahar, tonking anything full with great power into the stands.

It took a clever spell from Shardul Thakur to turn the tide. Thakur first took out Stokes with a slower ball, slapped straight to Suryakumar at long-on. The very next ball, Eoin Morgan fell to yet another cutter. England needed 46 runs from 22 balls at this stage, leaving Sam Curran and Chris Jordan with a lot on their plate. With 23 needed off the final over, Thakur was given the ball.

A nervous Thakur conceded a six, a four and two wides, but got his act together in the final three deliveries to shut England out of the contest.

Scoreboard

INDIA
Rohit Sharma c&b Archer 12 (12b, 1×4, 1×6), K.L. Rahul c Archer b Stokes 14 (17b, 2×4), Suryakumar Yadav c Malan b Sam Curran 57 (31b, 6×4, 3×6), Virat Kohli st. Buttler b Rashid 1 (5b), Rishabh Pant b Archer 30 (23b, 4×4), Shreyas Iyer c Malan b Archer 37 (18b, 5×4, 1×6), Hardik Pandya c Stokes b Wood 11 (8b, 1×6), Shardul Thakur (not out) 10 (4b, 2×4), Washington Sundar c Rashid b Archer 4 (2b, 1×4), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (lb-5, w-4): 9; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 185.

FALL OF WICKETS
1-21 (Rohit, 3.4 overs), 2-63 (Rahul, 7.4), 3-70 (Kohli, 8.4), 4-110 (Suryakumar, 13.2), 5-144 (Pant, 16.2), 6-170 (Hardik, 18.5), 7-174 (Shreyas, 19.1), 8-179 (Washington, 19.4).

ENGLAND BOWLING
Rashid 4-1-39-1, Archer 4-0-33-4, Wood 4-1-25-1, Jordan 4-0-41-0, Stokes 3-0-26-1, Sam Curran 1-0-16-1.

ENGLAND
Jason Roy c Suryakumar b Hardik 40 (27b, 6×4, 1×6), Jos Buttler c Rahul b Bhuvneshwar 9 (6b, 1×6), Dawid Malan b Rahul Chahar 14 (17b, 1×6), Jonny Bairstow c Washington b Rahul Chahar 25 (19b, 2×4, 1×6), Ben Stokes c Suryakumar b Shardul 46 (23b, 4×4, 3×6), Eoin Morgan c Washington b Shardul 4 (6b), Sam Curran b Hardik 3 (5b), Chris Jordan c Hardik b Shardul 12 (9b, 1×4), Jofra Archer (not out) 18 (8b, 2×4, 1×6), Adil Rashid (not out) 0 (0b); Extras (lb-2, w-4): 6; Total (for eight wkts. in 20 overs): 177.

FALL OF WICKETS
1-15 (Buttler, 2.5), 2-60 (Malan, 7.5), 3-66 (Roy, 8.5), 4-131 (Bairstow, 14.5), 5-140 (Stokes, 16.1), 6-140 (Morgan, 16.2), 7-153 (Sam Curran, 17.6), 8-177 (Jordan, 19.5).

INDIA BOWLING
Bhuvneshwar 4-1-30-1, Hardik 4-0-16-2, Shardul 4-0-42-3, Washington 4-0-52-0, Rahul Chahar 4-0-35-2.

Toss: England.

India won by eight runs to level series 2-2.

Fifth and final T20I: March 20, 7 p.m..

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Rohit Sharma completes 9000 runs in T20 cricket, 2nd Indian after Virat Kohli | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: Senior opener Rohit Sharma on Thursday became the second Indian to complete 9000 runs in T20 cricket after skipper Virat Kohli.
Rohit achieved the feat when he drove spinner Adil Rashid for a single during the fourth T20 International against England at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
He scored 12 runs in Thursday’s match. He was dismissed by pacer Jofra Archer.
Rohit, who is one of the modern-day greats in white-ball cricket, is the ninth highest-run getter in the T20 format.
More than half of his T20 runs came in the Indian Premier League.
In T20 Internationals, Rohit has so far accumulated 2800 runs from 110 matches at an average of 32.41 and with a strike rate of 138.36.
Across T20s, he has amassed 9001 runs from 342 matches with a strike rate of 133.36. He has to his credit six centuries and 63 fifties in the game’s shortest format. Rohit also has over 500 runs to his name in the IPL.
Last January, Rohit became the third fastest player in the world to reach 9000 runs in One-day Internationals.

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India vs England: Improvisation and luck: Audacious shots played in the India-England T20I series so far | Cricket News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: India and England — two of the biggest T20I batting powerhouses in world cricket currently have showcased some exemplary shots in the first three T20Is of the five-match series.
Although the three matches played so far at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad have not been very high-scoring affairs, even on a tricky surface, some of the power hitters and stroke makers have managed to play some audacious and at times very lucky shots that have gone for boundaries.
While batsmen trying to negate the spin with reverse sweeps has been a common sight in the series, some of the more innovative shots too have been out on display by players from both sides.
Outwitting the bowlers and rendering the field placements null and void, batsmen have found unique ways of scoring runs.
TimesofIndia.com here takes a look at some of the most out of the box shots played by the batsmen in the series so far:
1st T20I – Rishabh Pant reverse scoop off Jofra Archer
When Rishabh Pant came up with his reverse-scoop for the first time in the recently concluded Test series against England legend James Anderson, the whole world was in awe of the swashbuckling batsmen. Tillakaratne Dilshan, who was the first batsman to play the scoop shot over the wicket-keeper called it ‘outrageous’. But when Pant did the same to one of the fastest bowlers in the world — Jofra Archer — in the first T20I, it was really something to behold — a reverse-scoop off a bowler bowling at over 90 miles/hour.
So impressed was the cricketing fraternity with the audacity of Pant’s shot that he was praised by multiple cricketers.
‘Greatest shot that’s ever been played in cricket’, ‘incredible’, ‘absolutely fearless’, were some of the words said by the greats of the game said about the shot that Pant played off Archer’s thunderbolt.
The incident happened in the fourth over of the first T20I when Pant took on Archer, changing to a right-handed stance and scooping him over the keeper and the first slip fielder for a boundary. Archer was visibly stunned in his follow through as Pant produced an absolutely extraordinary shot.

Pant played this audacious shot in the first T20I against England – Reuters Photo

1st T20I – Hardik Pandya ramp shot off Ben Stokes
A shot that has been a potent weapon in Hardik Pandya’s armory for quite some time now — the ramp shot that he plays against the pacers’ bouncers. One of the best offensive shots, with minimum of risk involved, Hardik has mastered the ramp shot.
It was in the 15th over of India’s innings in the 1st T20I when Hardik played his trademark shot to perfection off Ben Stokes.
A banged in short ball outside off was perfectly guided to the third-man fence with the timing on that shot doing all the work for Hardik. Although Hardik was off-balance and was on the ground after playing the shot, he had timed the bat-ball connection to perfection.

Hardik has mastered the ramp shot – ANI Photo
3rd T20I – Jonny Bairstow scoop off Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Jonny Bairstow has been one of the most destructive batsmen in the England batting unit in the recent past. Apart from classical strokeplay, it is Bairstow’s outside-the-box thinking while scoring that separates him from the rest.
Finding gaps at will and with an ability to hit any ball to the fence, Bairstow is a pretty difficult batsman to bowl at.
Bairstow during the third T20I vs India showed exactly what he is capable of when he cheekily scooped one of India’s best bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar to the fence.
Although it was a premeditated shot and Kumar, to the best of his ability, tried to stop him by following a moving Bairstow outside off, the swashbuckling batsman managed to collect a boundary.
Bairstow fell while completing the shot, but the job was done.

Bairstow’s scoop against India’s pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was a premeditated shot – AP Photo
3rd T20I – Virat Kohli ramp shot off Jofra Archer
When it comes to Virat Kohli, classical stroke-making and timing is something the Indian captain is synonymous with. But the run machine, in the recent past has added some new variants to an already wide array of shots, keeping the demands of the shortest format in mind.
A ramp shot that Kohli played off Jofra Archer in the third T20I was a rare sight. But the Indian skipper timed it to perfection while attempting to up the ante during the India innings.
Off the last ball of the 19th over, Archer banged the ball in just a bit outside off to Kohli, who stepped away creating additional room for himself and lifted it over the in-field to collect four runs.

It’s not often that Kohli is seen playing a ramp shot – AFP Photo
3rd T20I – Virat Kohli top edge off Jofra Archer
Luck is not something Virat Kohli depends on to collect his runs. But once in a while, the man with the maximum number of T20I runs in the world (3078) also gets lucky while trying to pull off an audacious shot.
During the third T20I, Kohli surprised himself, along with the England team after a top edge off his bat off Jofra Archer took the ball over the fence behind keeper Jos Buttler.
Attempting a flick off a Jofra Archer 142.2 km/hr delivery, Kohli closed the face of his bat early. Luckily for the Indian skipper, the ball hit the meaty part of the top edge and flew past behind the stumps. The pace of Archer helped the ball go all the way. The ball went high up and also travelled the distance, comfortably sailing over the boundary rope.
Along with Kohli, non-striker Hardik Pandya too enjoyed the shot and they shared a good laugh about it.



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India vs England T20Is: The big statistics ahead of India’s do-or-die encounter today | Cricket News – Times of India

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India face a do-or-die challenge in Ahmedabad today against the world’s number one T20 team, England. The English are already 2-1 up in the 5-match series and a win for Eoin Morgan and his boys today will see them win their first bilateral T20 series vs India. Virat Kohli and his men have to win today’s encounter to stay alive in the series and take it into the fifth and final match to decide the series.
Ahead of the crucial fourth T20I here are some big team and individual player statistics:
* England have a chance to record their first multi-game bilateral men’s T20I series victory over India, their record stands at one drawn series and two defeats; they currently lead the five-match series vs India 2-1.
* India have alternated between victory and defeat across their last six men’s T20I matches versus England. They go into the fourth match having suffered an eight-wicket loss against Eoin Morgan’s side in the last encounter (March 16, 2021).
* England have managed to record a win in eight of their last nine men’s T20I matches when chasing
* India tasted an eight-wicket defeat last time out versus England, they have not suffered back-to-back men’s T20I defeats against the same opponent since February 2019 (against Australia).
* Indian captain Virat Kohli needs just 55 runs to become the highest run-getter against England in men’s T20Is, he has scored 496 runs from 15 innings; only Australian Aaron Finch has scored more runs against England (550 runs in 12 innings).
* Indian opener KL Rahul recorded ducks in his last two T20I innings, the only Indian to record more consecutive ducks in men’s T20I is his teammate Washington Sundar (three between December 2019 and January 2020).
* Jason Roy (994) and Dawid Malan (921) are closing in on 1,000 runs in men’s T20I cricket, only five men have reached the milestone for England; Roy is one of the three batsmen to score over 100 runs in this series (Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler are the other two).
* Indian captain Virat Kohli has dropped eight catches in T20Is since the start of 2019, the most recorded by any player from a Test-playing nation during that period
* Jos Buttler recorded his highest ever T20I score during his last time out against India (83*); he has now scored 312 runs versus the host nation, only his captain Eoin Morgan has scored more against India (342).
* England pacer Jofra Archer has bowled 40 dot balls so far in this series, 14 more than any Indian player and has a dot ball rate of 53% which is a series-high number; only one of his 72 deliveries have pitched on a half volley length or fuller.

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India vs England: Some decisions were just baffling, says VVS Laxman | Cricket News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: Jos Buttler hit a magnificent 83 as England defeated India by eight wickets in the third Twenty20 International (T20I) to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Former India cricketer VVS Laxman said some of India’s decision-making were baffling. India had brought in Rohit Sharma in place of Suryakumar Yadav who made his debut in the second T20I.
“I also found some of India’s decision-making baffling. I am sure the team management has its reasons, but what can possibly be the logic behind pushing Ishan Kishan, who made a half-century on debut as opener, down to No. 3? Or leaving out Suryakumar Yadav, who didn’t even get to bat in his only appearance? Kohli put on a masterclass in the art of innings-building. He was only 24 off 25 balls but switched gears effortlessly to finish with 77 off 46,” VVS Laxman wrote in column for The Times of India.
Put in to bat, India skipper Virat Kohli‘s 77-run blitz propelled India to 156-6 at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. In reply, Jos Buttler made an unbeaten 83 to guide England to 158 for two with 10 balls to spare. Apart from Buttler, Bairstow made an unbeaten 40 off 28 balls.
“Tuesday’s third T20I was an action replay of the first game, where India lost three wickets – and the match – in the power play overs. Statistics reveal that teams win, at best, one in four games when more than two wickets fall in the first six,” Laxman said.
“Virat Kohli tried to resuscitate the floundering effort with an exceptional knock, but despite his best efforts, not even he could undo the damage caused upfront. The red-soil surface was England’s great ally after Eoin Morgan won the toss, which has become a significant factor in this series,” he said.
“India needed early wickets, which is perhaps why Yuzvendra Chahal bowled in the power play, but Jos Buttler had an answer to every question. India will need to revisit their combination, and factor in another bowling option to account for any eventuality. Stacking the line-up with batsmen can be counter-productive, as evidenced twice in the last three matches,” the former cricketer said.
The fourth match of the series will be played on Thursday in Ahmedabad.

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virat kohli: India vs England: Mark Wood walked up to Virat Kohli to praise his six | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: England pace bowler Mark Wood said on Wednesday that he reached out to Virat Kohli, acknowledging one of his sixes, after the India skipper hammered him for 16 runs in an over during the third T20 international here.
After Wood had wreaked havoc in his first three overs, Kohli took him apart in his fourth and final over. The India captain hit two sixes and a four in those six balls. The first six was something that caught Wood’s eye.
Kohli walked across the stumps and anticipating the line and length, he got into a position to pull Wood in front of square.

“Good players are allowed to do that. I said to him at the end ‘that first ball you hit for six was a hell of a shot’. He got in, took his time and went at the end. He is a fantastic player we try to get out early. This time we didn’t but we were still pleased with the score we kept them to,” said Wood on Wednesday.
“I bowled what I wanted to do and he just played good shots,” added Wood.
Despite Kohli’s 77 not out, England managed to restrict India to 156 in their 20 overs and then easily chased the total, winning by eight wickets to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
The fourth T20I will be played on Thursday.

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Ind vs Eng, 4th T20 | India seeks quick solutions in its bid to keep the series alive

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Home side has to deal with selection questions and powerplay batting issues against Wood and Archer; winning the toss will help, given the success of chasing sides so far

Much was made of the importance of winning the toss and batting first in the preceding Test series, but as it turns out, the spin of the coin has played an equally vital role in the T20Is. Only this time, opting to field has been the preferred option, leading to easy victories for the chasing side in all three outings so far.

Trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, India skipper Virat Kohli will hope to win the toss and bat second in the fourth T20I here on Thursday.

Awkward, sticky bounce

A combination of factors has contributed to this trend. On the slow Narendra Modi Stadium pitches, the early overs have offered an awkward, sticky bounce. This has forced normally attacking batsmen to bide their time in order to come to grips with the surface.

In the first and third T20Is, India’s task was made that much harder by the brilliance of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. Both England pacers have been rapid, touching the 150 kmph mark, while generating steep bounce from short of a length. They have attacked the stumps as well, evidenced by Wood cleaning up K.L. Rahul with a terrific in-dipper on Tuesday, and when Wood and Archer hit timber to send back Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul respectively in the first outing.

Restricted to measly returns in the PowerPlay — 22/3 in the first T20I and 24/3 in the third — India was forced to play catch-up.

England captain Eoin Morgan has preferred to chase, a sentiment echoed by teammate Jos Buttler. “In T20 cricket in general, there seems to be a trend where batting second is advantageous,” Buttler said, after his unbeaten 83 on Tuesday.

Clarity of thought

Buttler was likely referring to the clarity of thought when hunting a fixed target, as opposed to spending time to assess a good total when batting first. The dew factor under lights — which leads to bowlers facing difficulty in gripping the ball — also sways the argument in favour of chasing.

India, meanwhile, has some selection questions to answer. Will Suryakumar Yadav — left out for the third T20I despite not getting a chance to bat on his international debut on Sunday — be given another chance to prove his worth? And what of Rahul, who has scored only one run in the series so far. If Rahul is dropped, Ishan Kishan could move up from one-drop to opener — a spot where he tasted great success in the second T20I.

The teams (from):

India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Rohit Sharma, K.L. Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rahul Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, and Shardul Thakur.

England: Eoin Morgan (Capt.), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, and Mark Wood.

Match starts at 7 p.m.

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Ind vs Eng | India seeks quick solutions in its bid to keep the series alive

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Home side has to deal with selection questions and PowerPlay batting issues against Wood and Archer; winning toss will help, given the success of chasing sides so far.

Much was made of the importance of winning the toss and batting first in the preceding Test series, but as it turns out, the spin of the coin has played an equally vital role in the T20Is. Only this time, opting to field has been the preferred option, leading to easy victories for the chasing side in all three outings so far.

Trailing 1-2 in the five-match series, India skipper Virat Kohli will hope to win the toss and bat second in the fourth T20I here on Thursday.

Awkward, sticky bounce

A combination of factors has contributed to this trend. On the slow Narendra Modi Stadium pitches, the early overs have offered an awkward, sticky bounce. This has forced normally attacking batsmen to bide their time in order to come to grips with the surface.

In the first and third T20Is, India’s task was made that much harder by the brilliance of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. Both England pacers have been rapid, touching the 150 kmph mark, while generating steep bounce from short of a length. They have attacked the stumps as well, evidenced by Wood cleaning up K.L. Rahul with a terrific in-dipper on Tuesday, and when Wood and Archer hit timber to send back Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul respectively in the first outing.

Restricted to measly returns in the PowerPlay — 22/3 in the first T20I and 24/3 in the third — India was forced to play catch-up.

England captain Eoin Morgan has preferred to chase, a sentiment echoed by teammate Jos Buttler. “In T20 cricket in general, there seems to be a trend where batting second is advantageous,” Buttler said, after his unbeaten 83 on Tuesday.

Clarity of thought

Buttler was likely referring to the clarity of thought when hunting a fixed target, as opposed to spending time to assess a good total when batting first. The dew factor under lights — which leads to bowlers facing difficulty in gripping the ball — also sways the argument in favour of chasing.

India, meanwhile, has some selection questions to answer. Will Suryakumar Yadav — left out for the third T20I despite not getting a chance to bat on his international debut on Sunday — be given another chance to prove his worth? And what of Rahul, who has scored only one run in the series so far. If Rahul is dropped, Ishan Kishan could move up from one-drop to opener — a spot where he tasted great success in the second T20I.

The teams (from):

India: Virat Kohli (Capt.), Rohit Sharma, K.L. Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rahul Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Navdeep Saini, and Shardul Thakur.

England: Eoin Morgan (Capt.), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, and Mark Wood.

Match starts at 7 p.m.

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Virat Kohli, Vikram Rathour throw their weight behind KL Rahul | Cricket News – Times of India

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When a flamboyant yet classic top order batsman hits a rough patch, it sparks consternation and despair along with some surprise and intrigue. KL Rahul has spawned all of that.
In the 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League in the UAE, the Punjab Kings skipper scored 670 runs in 14 matches, which included a century and five half-centuries. It earned him the Orange cap for the highest run-getter.

The same batsman has managed a solitary run in three matches in the T20 series against England. That one run came in the opening fixture and just when one thought he couldn’t fare worse he produced a couple of noughts in the next two matches.
To say that his current form has come under scrutiny is perhaps an understatement, especially with India firming up the team for the T20 World Cup at home later this year.

The rustiness can be partially attributed to the fact that Rahul has not played competitive cricket since December last year and was benched for the Test series against England. The lack of match time has shown in his timing and selection of shots in the ongoing series.
Hard times may have befallen Rahul, but he can take heart from the fact that he has the backing of pastmasters and his team, skipper Virat Kohli in particular.

After India’s loss to England on Tuesday, Kohli came out in support of the Karnataka batsman, stressing on the numbers he has piled over the years.
“I was going through a lean patch two games ago. These things turn around very quickly. He’s been a champion player for us. If you look at his numbers in the last 2-3 years, they’re probably better than anyone else in T20 cricket,” said Kohli.

Emphasising that the team’s faith in Rahul is unbroken, Kohli added, “He’ll continue to be one of our main batsmen along with Rohit at the top of the order, so we don’t have any concerns there. We know once he starts playing positively and a few shots come off, then it’s a matter of 5-6 balls in this format and suddenly you’re back into that zone.”
Rahul exhibited that zone in the IPL, when he settled down in quick time after a prolonged pandemic-induced break.
Having averaged a little under 41 in 48 T20 appearances for the country, Rahul also found support in batting coach Vikram Rathour.
“In the past one year, KL has been our best batsman in the T20 format, averaging 40-plus and striking at 145. Three failures don’t change the fact that he may be the best in the format. He’s done really well for us and this is the time that the team has to support him and I’m sure he will come out of this lean phase,” stated Rathour.

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Jofra Archer keeps pressure on, forces teams to attack other bowlers: Mark Wood | Cricket News – Times of India

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AHMEDABAD: England pacer Mark Wood on Wednesday said that his partner-in-crime Jofra Archer always keeps the pressure on the opposition and as a result, the batsmen are forced to go after the other bowlers in the team, leading to dismissals.
Wood had rattled India in the third T20I as he dismissed the likes of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, and Shreyas Iyer as England registered an emphatic eight-wicket win to go 2-1 up in the five-match series.
“Jofra starts a lot of the times, because he keeps the pressure on, it forces the teams to take risks against the other bowlers. He keeps it tight, when I started well and I got the wicket, they had a new batsman and we could get a few dot balls in to build pressure. It is just about bowling in tandem and keeping the pressure on for each other. Just trying to make sure that we did not give anything loose,” said Wood during a virtual press conference.
Wood had not conceded many runs in his first three overs in the third T20I, but skipper Kohli showed his class in the death overs and he made a mockery of Wood’s fourth and final over. The Indian skipper utilised the crease really well and he went deep inside the crease to hit a pull shot off Wood that went ten rows into the stands.
“We have a plan as a group. Chris Jordon is an experienced bowler. We decide on the ball we are going to bowl and then you try to execute that. The plan was good but the execution was wrong. On a couple of balls, I felt I executed what I wanted to bowl, but Kohli just played good shots and good players are allowed to do that. The first six he hit off me, was a hell of a shot,” said Wood.
“If you allow good players to get in, he got in and he took his time and he caught up with it in the end. He is a fantastic player, but we were pleased with the score we kept them too. I will take the battering in the end for the early wickets which I got,” he added.
India and England will now lock horns in the fourth T20I of the five-match series on Thursday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

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