Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], January 29 (ANI): Skipper Jos Buttler once again had special praise in store for their unsung hero, Adil Rashid and reiterated his stance of branding the seasoned spinner as England’s “most important player.”
Seven months ago, when England toppled the West Indies in the Super 8 phase of the T20 World Cup, Buttler was quick to point out the significance Rashid has for the Three Lions.
Despite the rollicking Philip Salt and Jonny Bairstow performances with the bat, Rashid’s economical spell caught the English skipper’s eye.
Fast forward to seven months, Rashid stayed in the shadows but influenced the flow of the game with his four overs. He only had a sole scalp but turned out to be the most economical across both teams on Rajkot’s slow track.
“The guys bowled really well, nice to show off their skills. Adil – he’s the most important player in our team, so many variations, so many different styles of bowling, fortunate to have him in our team,” Buttler said in the post-match presentation.
For his sole scalp in the third T20I, Rashid produced an absolute ripper to confirm the return ticket of the dressing room of in-form Tilak Varma. In his four-over spell, Rashid kept things tight and conceded just 15 runs at an economy of 3.80.
On the pace bowling front, tearaway Jofra Archer returned to his former self after conceding his most expensive spell in all T20s in Chennai. He made Sanju Samson’s time on the crease humdrum routine that ends with the Indian being outdone by the pace and the short length.
When India threatened to make a comeback with a partnership between Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, Archer delivered the decisive blow. He gave away a juicy full toss to Axar, who swung his bat hard and slashed it straight to Rashid, stationed towards short third man.
“Jofra – don’t need to talk much about him – he’s a superstar, incredibly consistent, if he goes for 60, you know he’ll come back well,” Buttler said.
Just like India, the touring party was reeling away for runs on the slow turf in the powerplay. When explosiveness became the need of the hour, Duckett blew away the Indian bowling attack with a touch of unorthodox in his shots.
With Buttler at the other end, he unleashed a wide array of his strokeplay from arsenal to make the most of the first six overs. Before being outdone by Axar, Duckett had caused irreparable damage with his swift 51 from 28 deliveries.
“Ben Duckett is a difficult guy to stop, that’s why we felt he can do a job for us at the top. He played beautifully on what was a sticky pitch. 170 was a very good score, those wickets were crucial in the power play. 127-8 doesn’t bother me, if they say you can be disappointed with the way you play and score 170, I’ll take that,” Buttler added.
After England managed to keep the series alive with a 26-run victory and make the scoreline 2-1, the Three Lions will look to build on momentum and restore parity on Friday. (ANI)
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