The England cricket team humbled India by eight wickets in the third T20 International to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series at the Motera Stadium on Tuesday.
After a fine display of fast bowling from pacers Mark Wood (3/31) and Chris Jordan (2/35) helped the visitors restrict India to 156/6, England rode on a scintillating knock from opener Jos Buttler (83 off 52 balls) to chase down the target convincingly in 18.2 overs.
Interestingly, this was only the second time when an English batsman has scored 50% or more runs of the team total.
| Player | Runs | Run % | Opposition | Ground | Match Date |
| Jos Buttler | 83* | 52.53 | v India | Ahmedabad | 16 March 2021 |
| Luke Wright | 99* | 50.51 | v Afghanistan | Colombo (RPS) | 21 September 2012 |
Buttler’s 83 is also the sixth-highest individual score by an England batsman while chasing a target in the T20Is.
| Player | Runs | SR | Opposition | Ground | Start Date |
| Alex Hales | 116* | 181.25 | v Sri Lanka | Chattogram | 27 March 2014 |
| David Malan | 99* | 210.63 | v South Africa | Cape Town | 01 December 2020 |
| Alex Hales | 99 | 145.58 | v West Indies | Nottingham | 24 June 2012 |
| Joe Root | 90* | 183.67 | v Australia | Southampton | 29 August 2013 |
| Jonny Bairstow | 86* | 179.16 | v South Africa | Cape Town | 27 November 2020 |
| Jos Buttler | 83* | 159.61 | v India | Ahmedabad | 16 March 2021 |
| Joe Root | 83 | 188.63 | v South Africa | Mumbai | 18 March 2016 |
Earlier, India cricket team captain Virat Kohli had played a magnificent inning as he slammed an unbeaten 77 off just 46 balls to help the hosts reach a fighting total of 156/6 in their 20 overs. His score of 77 not out is now the third-highest individual score by an Indian batsman against England in the shortest format of the game.
| Player | Runs | Ground | Start Date |
| KL Rahul | 101* | Manchester | 03 July 2018 |
| Rohit Sharma | 100* | Bristol | 08 July 2018 |
| Virat Kohli | 77* | Ahmedabad | 14 March 2021 |
| Virat Kohli | 73* | Ahmedabad | 16 March 2021 |
| KL Rahul | 71 | Nagpur | 29 January 2017 |
Team India was once again off to a horrible start as they were reduced to 24 for three in the batting powerplay with KL Rahul (0), Rohit Sharma (15), and Ishan Kishan (4) back in the pavilion.
India’s score of 24/3 is now the joint third-lowest score for the hosts in the T20Is.
| Match | Total Runs | Wickets |
| Match 4, India vs. Pakistan, 27 Feb 2016 | 21 | 3 |
| Match 1, India vs England, 12 Mar 2021 | 22 | 3 |
| Match 3, India vs England, 16 Mar 2021 | 24 | 3 |
| Match 15, Australia vs. India, 07 May 2010 | 24 | 4 |
| Super 10 - Match 19, India vs. Pakistan, 19 Mar 2016 | 28 | 3 |
Virat Kohli-led India will have a chance to level the series when they take on England in the fourth T20I on Thursday, March 18.
Feature image courtesy: Jewel SAMAD / AFP
