India vs England, 3rd T20I: Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni’s rampage set 203-run target

India set up a 203-run target against England in the third and final T20I at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, thanks to fifties from Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni.

India set England 203 in the third and final (and, of course, decider) T20I at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, thanks to breezy fifties from Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni. There were as many as 12 sixes in the innings, keeping the crowd on its feet. This was also the highest T20I total at the venue, surpassing Australia’s 157. England bowlers, on the other hand, were smashed to pulp, so much so that three of them conceded over 11 an over. There was very little the visitors could do on this track, but Tymal Mills impressed everyone with his 1 for 32 amidst a batting rampage.

Losing Virat Kohli in the second over did not dent India’s confidence. They had Suresh Raina at No. 3 and KL Rahul, who scored 71 off 47 in the last match, at the other end. However, Rahul had received a mouthful for running his captain out at his home away from home. Rahul looked to his right and then to his left to avoid eye contact with Kohli amidst pin-drop silence. No wonder why the Bengaluru crowd lost its roar. The people’s champ was back in the pavilion

Raina came down the track to clear the inner circle. Mills clocked 149 kmph. Raina shuffled to get behind the ball. Ben Stokes took pace off the ball. Raina’s mindset was to go all guns blazing no matter what. England had found their length, but Raina was itching to get going. It was just a matter of time. He knew one boundary would get him in the groove.

Raina stopped shimming down and instead cleared his front leg. A few mishits later he smacked one over deep-cover to register India’s first six. Then came the Raina special. Staying in his crease, he made room and pulled one over leg-side boundary, followed by a flick over fine-leg, into the first tier.

Rahul, perhaps still thinking about the run out, was struggling to find his feet. But this is T20 cricket, where concepts like form and momentum do not matter. He flicked one, and then lofted another over mid-off. And when spinners came into the attack, he sent one from Moeen Ali into the orbit. That went so high that it soared over the roof, out of the ground. The umpires had to call for a new ball.

Eoin Morgan needed a breakthrough: who better than Ben Stokes to pull that off? He knocked over Rahul with a length ball, for 18-ball 22.

Just when everyone thought India’s youngest debutant Rishabh Pant would join Raina in the middle, in came MS Dhoni at No. 4, ahead of Yuvraj Singh as well. That meant the singles would be converted into doubles and doubles into triples. The CSK players and old mates had the stage set. Raina, however, had got his eye in. It was Dhoni’s time to continue the rampage. And he did not disappoint. He cleared his front leg and hoicked one for a massive six. In fact the evening so far has been about colossal sixes.

Morgan brought Liam Plunkett back into the attack after he conceded 11 off his first over. Dhoni welcomed him with another six. The atmosphere was electric.

Meanwhile, Raina reached his fifty with a six over deep mid-wicket. There were no fours. India were persistent in taking the aerial route instead. The fifty did not matter for Raina. He was in a no-nonsense mood. He hit one more six down the ground, before Plunkett dismissed with a slower ball.

But this was about Dhoni as well. There were not only mighty sixes, the Dhoni-like hitting. There was a deft steer that raced past short third-man. Dhoni was being watchful. He knew the field placements. He knew he does not need power on this track. He hit 3 fours off Stokes and another off Mills to bring up his maiden half-century after 76 T20Is in career spanning over a decade.

Yuvraj was at the other end, raring to join the party. He knew this was the track to exploit. He singled out Jordan, who had dismissed Kohli, Rahul, and Dhoni in the Nagpur T20I. He smashed 3 sixes and a four off Jordan to add 27 off 10 to India’s total.

After the stalwarts were dismissed, Pant and Hardik Pandya hit a boundary each to take India to 202 for 6.

Brief scores:

India 202 for 6 (Suresh Raina 66, MS Dhoni 56; Tymal Mills 1 for 32) vs England

 Full scorecard