ENG vs IND | Buttler’s redemption, Rohit lauds India’s fighting spirit; Bhuvneshwar Kumar goes from strength to strength

Jos Buttler can finally breathe a sigh of relief as he claimed his first victory as full-time England skipper. Despite being a dead rubber, Buttler and Co. put on a spirited display to defeat India in the third T20I at Trent Bridge. 

Despite coming second to India in the T20I series, Jos Buttler was pleased with his side’s performance on Sunday. Dawid Malan's quick-fire 77 helped England post an above par score of 215 runs in the first innings. Despite Suryakumar Yadav’s valiant ton, India went down fighting, eventually losing by 17 runs.

Jos Buttler took a moment to appreciate Suryakumar Yadav’s unbelievable effort. Reflecting on the match, the English skipper stated that it was an entertaining encounter. He acknowledged Richard Gleeson’s contribution with the ball once again. 

Jos Buttler was certainly impressed by his side’s bowling performance in the final T20I, with his senior most pacer Chris Jordan having two scalps to his name.

“I thought we had a slightly above par score. Unbelievable innings from SKY. I thought Reece Topley bowled into the wicket and took pace off really well. It was pleasing to see Gleeson back up with another performance. CJ was good too. We are blessed with options,” said Buttler in the post match presentation.

“We are proud of the fight,” Rohit Sharma applauds team spirit despite defeat

Rohit Sharma’s streak of 14 unbeaten games as T20I captain came to a conclusion at Trent Bridge, as India fell short by just 17 runs. The Indian skipper applauded the team’s fighting spirit despite losing three wickets in the powerplay.

The 35-year-old batter heaped praise on his Mumbai Indians teammate Suryakumar Yadav who stole the show in the final T20I.  The middle-order batter became only the fifth Indian to score a hundred in T20I cricket. 

“I thought it was a fantastic chase although we fell short. We are proud of the fight. Surya was magnificent to watch. I have been watching him for a while now. Loves this format, has wide range of shots. He has grown from strength to strength since we got him into the squad,” said Rohit Sharma.

Rohit Sharma also explained the decision to field just five bowlers on Sunday

The skipper stated that they wanted to see if the bowlers can bowl their full quota of four overs, with no back-up option available. Rohit took the defeat as a kind of a reality check. 

“We were clear in trying out guys if they can bowl 4 overs. We have things to work on as a group. Hope so. So far things are pretty good. We don’t want to sit on laurels. We want to get better every game. Today was great learning for us as to bowl to come out and bowl. And to bat as well. Games like this will teach you,” said Rohit Sharma.

Meanwhile, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been going from strength to strength, as he has claimed his second successive Player of the Series Award. The veteran pacer missed the final T20I, but managed to pick up four wickets in the first two T20Is. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar found the back of England skipper and in-form batter Jos Buttler on both occasions, and also collected the Player of the Match Award in the second T20I.