
Ahmedabad, March 16: Mark Wood, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow shine as England secured a comfortable eight-wicket win against India in the third T20I and gained a 2-1 lead in the five-match series in Ahmedabad at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday (March 16).
England opener Buttler scored an unbeaten 83 as he stitched an unbeaten stand of 77 runs for the third wicket with Bairstow (40 Not Out) to guide the visitors to victory with 10 balls to spare.
Earlier, Indian skipper Virat Kohli helped his team recover from a difficult situation to manage a decent 156 for 6. Wood was the pick of the English bowlers as he picked 3 wickets, while Chris Jordan took two wickets.
Skipper Kohli (77 not out, 46 balls) shared a quickfire 70-run partnership with Hardik Pandya (17 off 15 balls) to power India to a respectable score after Wood made life miserable for the other batsmen.
Here is how India vs England, 3rd T20I went down:
End of the match: Jos Buttler's unbeaten 83 and Jonny Bairstow's 40 not out power England past India and help the visitors take a 2-1 lead in the 5-match T20 series.
Back to back fours from Jonny Bairstow and it's all over as England beat India by 8 wickets with 10 balls to spare.
150 up for England as Buttler (83*) and Bairstow (32*) get the hosts marching on. England - 150/2 in 18 overs, need another 7 runs from 12 balls to win.
FOUR! Bairstow scoops Bhuvneshwar towards the fine leg area for his third boundary as England inch close to victory.
Bhuvneshwar is set to bowl out in the eighteenth over, meaning Hardik and Shardul will bowl the remaining two overs.
Nine runs come from Thakur's third over. England - 141/2 in 17 overs, need another 16 runs to win from 18 balls.
Milestone Alert: Jonny Bairstow reaches 1000 runs in T20Is.
FOUR! Thakur returns to the attack and is welcomed with a boundary as a top edge of Bairstow reaches the fence.
Sundar bowls another tight over, but there are not many runs to get for England, who are 132/2 in 16 overs.
Dropped!! Buttler's reverse sweep off Chahal goes through diving Kohli's hands at point. England - 127/2 in 15 overs.
SIX! Buttler gets his fourth maximum of the match as he lofts Sundar over long on. England - 120/2 in 14 overs.
FOUR! Bairstow sweeps Sundar for his first boundary of the match. England - 113/2 in 13.3 overs.
Bhuvneshwar returns to the attack to bowl his third over and concedes just five runs from it. England - 107/2 in 13 overs.
100 up for England in the twelfth over as Buttler and Bairstow continue the visitors' run chase. England - 102/2 in 12 overs.
FOUR! Buttler welcomes back Chahal into the attack with a boundary.
Pandya continues from the other end as India eye Buttler's wicket. And the Indian all-rounder bowls yet another tight over. England - 92/2 in 11 overs.
Jonny Bairstow joins Buttler in the middle for the run chase as India look to put the brakes on the scoring. England - 83/2 in 10 overs.
WICKET! Sundar gets Malan stumped by Pant for 18. England - 81/2 in 9.4 overs.
SIX! Malan's top edge off Pandya goes over the keeper and carries over the ropes for his first maximum. England - 78/1 in 9 overs.
FIFTY up for Buttler as he pulls Pandya for a single. England - 72/1 in 8.5 overs.
Washington concedes just four runs from his first over. England - 68/1 in 8 overs.
Washington Sundar comes in to bowl off-break as India look to break this partnership.
Pandya bowls a tidy over, conceding just seven runs from it. England - 64/1 in 7 overs.
Virat Kohli brings on Hardik Pandya to bowl the seventh over.
FOUR! Buttler pulls Chahal for the second boundary in the over and at the end of powerplay, England are 57/1 in 6 overs. Buttler (43*) and Malan (4*) are in the middle for the visitors.
FOUR! and that brings the 50 up for England as Jos Buttler reverse sweeps Chahal. England - 51/1 in 5.2 overs.
SIX! Buttler gets lucky this time as his pull just goes over the fielder for his third maximum of the match. England - 46/1 in 5 overs.
Back to back FOURS! Buttler flicks one towards the fine leg area and pulls one past the diving Ishan Kishan for another boundary.
Shardul Thakur resumes from the other end replacing Bhuvneshwar as India look for another wicket.
SIX! Buttler again dances down the track and hits Chahal over long on for the second maximum of the over as Dawid Malan joins the wicketkeeper-batsman for the run chase. England - 30/1 in 4 overs.