Tue Jan 28 18:27:21 UTC 2025: ## England Beats India in Thrilling T20 Match
**Rajkot, India:** England secured a much-needed victory in the third T20I against India, winning by 26 runs after losing the first two matches of the five-match series. The win narrows India’s lead to 2-1.
Batting first, England posted a challenging 171/9 in their allotted 20 overs. Ben Duckett top-scored with a 51-run knock, while Liam Livingstone contributed a quickfire 43. India’s spinner Varun Chakravarthy was the pick of the bowlers, claiming an impressive 5 wickets for 24 runs. Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel took two and one wicket respectively. Mohammad Shami, playing his first international match in over a year, went wicketless.
In response, India’s chase faltered from the start. Sanju Samson was dismissed early for 3 runs. While Hardik Pandya offered some resistance with a 40-run knock, consistent wickets hampered India’s progress. Other notable contributions came from Abhishek Sharma (24) and Axar Patel (15). England’s bowlers, led by Jamie Overton (3 wickets) and Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer (2 wickets each), successfully defended the total, restricting India to 145/9.
The match saw exciting moments, including Duckett’s fifty and Livingstone’s explosive cameo for England, and Chakravarthy’s five-wicket haul for India. However, India’s inconsistent batting ultimately proved to be their downfall, handing England their first win of the series. The series continues with the fourth T20I.
First Piper 