Discover how Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya led India to victory in the 4th T20I after a challenging start. Read more about their remarkable performance.
Introduction:
England would go home pondering as to how they threw the game in Pune. The tourists did it all at Will for two-and-a-half hours: winning the toss, restricting India to a precarious 12 for 3 and then to 79 for 5, England was always poised to take the series into a decider. Even after India got 181 on the board, the visitors had gone at their normal furious pace with 62 for no loss within the powerplay. England, however, were still the favorites at 129 for 4 in the 15th over but a collapse against India’s spinners sealed their fate.
See also: England Break India’s Home Streak

The final nail in the coffin came in the last over by Varun Chakravarthy when England lost two wickets and lost their last gasp hope. The pitch was flat and dewy, but England couldn’t make much of it with the spinners bowling with a wet ball on a true surface. India, however, never showed any signs of slowing down with the bat and played with intent even when losing early wickets. See also: Abhishek Sharma’s Fireworks Light Up Wankhede
Batting Grit by India
The primary reason for India’s win was their fearless batting approach. Even after a disastrous start, Abhishek Sharma kept the scoreboard ticking following a triple-wicket maiden early in the innings. Later, Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya played crucial knocks of 53 each, ensuring India reached a competitive total.

Dube’s innings took an interesting turn when he took a hit on the helmet in the final over, yet he kept batting. He later came back reporting symptoms of delayed concussion. Harshit Rana, one of the full-time bowlers, replaced him, instead of a batting allrounder Ramandeep Singh. It turned out to be a turning point as Rana then claimed three important wickets – Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Jamie Overton.
See also: Shubman Gill, Axar Patel Shine as India Chase Down 249
Saqib Mahmood’s Early Impact
England’s bowlers, particularly Saqib Mahmood, made a strong impact at the start. Bowling his first over of the series, Mahmood exploited India’s aggression and made early inroads. Sanju Samson fell to deep square leg, Tilak Varma edged his first ball to deep third, and Suryakumar Yadav’s attempted flick went straight to short mid-on.

India, however, have changed their approach in the last one and half years. They played much more aggressively under pressure. Abhishek Sharma showed this attitude and maintained momentum as Rinku Singh was unable to find the gaps.
Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya launched a counter-assault
One very interesting tactical move was to save Hardik Pandya for later as a possible counter to the spin of Adil Rashid. Rashid started with an intriguing loopy delivery, and Jos Buttler put down the catch, letting Shivam Dube off the hook to make amends, Rashid ended up going for 35 runs in four overs as India regained their game.

Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya launched a counter-assault on Mahmood and Jofra Archer, accumulating 37 runs in two overs, ensuring India had a fighting total. Overton’s final over, conceding just three runs, seemed crucial at the time, but the events that followed overshadowed it.
England’s Promising Start Turns Sour
Then, England started their chase with authority. Ben Duckett ended the silence of the Pune crowd with a reverse sweep for a boundary and took 16 runs off Axar Patel’s first over seeming neutralization of the spin threat it was a surprise when Ravi Bishnoi bowled the only flighted delivery of his over, which drew a mis-hit that dispatched Duckett for 39 off 19.

Phil Salt, who had not been comfortable playing against spin at all during the series, found his stumps exposed while attempting to cut Axar and bowled by a one that skidded in. Buttler followed shortly afterward, going with an extra bounce off Bishnoi, whose short third, Harshit Rana, gobbled up. England was, at 65 for 3, still the better team controlling the game.

England’s Middle-Order Meltdown
Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone settled the innings, scoring 27 off 21 balls. The required rate was still under 10. England was cruising along, but Rana changed everything for his side. Livingstone fell trying to cut late off Rana’s second ball which he guided straight to the wicketkeeper.
Brook, a man undeterred by the increasing pressure, retaliated with an 18-run over against Rana. He hit Varun Chakravarthy for successive boundaries too. But he also suffered from a brief bout of overconfidence when he premeditated a ramp shot off Varun and lobbed a slower leg-break to short fine leg. Brydon Carse added to England’s woes by slog-sweeping the very next ball to deep square leg, putting England in an outright mess.

Overton and Rashid’s Last Gasp
Jamie Overton and Adil Rashid briefly kept the hope of England alive. They were 21 runs short of the target off 11 balls. However, Overton’s inability to take singles back cost them dearly, even as Rashid cleared the ropes off Arshdeep Singh. Eventually, a lack of strike rotation and pressure led to England’s downfall.

Harshit Rana’s dream debut
India’s bowlers, under challenging conditions, managed to hold their nerve and deliver under pressure. Harshit Rana’s debut performance, with three crucial wickets, made the difference in the end.
Conclusion
England will regret missing that opportunity in Pune. They had India on the ropes early, but their inability to handle spin in favorable batting conditions cost them the match. India, on the other hand, showed resilience and aggressive intent, ensuring they defended 181 successfully.
The controversy over concussion substitution certainly had a part to play, but the bigger culprit was England’s batting collapse. England will have to seek answers to the spinners when the series moves on.