(Cricket news) The 5 match T20I series between India and England had a sort of anti-climax ending. The series was poised at 2-2 with the decider meant to be at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. The match was unfortunately called off due to rain after just 3.3 overs. The series ended as a tie with both the teams sharing the trophy. This means that India have now failed to win a series against South Africa in all three formats. The series in general has seen good performances from both the teams and a tie seems to be the fair outcome.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was named the player for the series for picking up 6 wickets in the 4 matches. Kumar has always been the silent performer for India in all formats throughout the years. These days he only plays T20Is and he showed his true worth once again. Harshal Patel was the highest wicket taker of the series with 7 wickets as he continued his excellent form with the blues. Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel and Avesh Khan had a couple of bad games at the start but then bounced back well. Hardik Pandya who was the 6th bowling option was rather disappointing with the ball but his ability with the bat made up for it.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ishan Kishan had a decent series with the bat. Kishan was the highest run scorer of the series with 206 runs. The biggest positive for India were Dinesh Karthik and Hardik Pandya. Both the players looked to have settled into the finishers role in the side. The Ireland series is going to be very important for the pair who are expected to be an important part of the Indian team for the upcoming world cup. Rishabh Pant's form in T20Is remains a concern as he is well short of runs despite batting at number 4 throughout the series. Shreyas Iyer dominated the spinners but really struggled against pace which isn't a good sign because the World Cup is in Australia where the conditions will be pace friendly.
The team management stuck with the same playing XI throughout the series even after losing the first two matches. Avesh Khan was the one who benefited the most. After going wicketless for 3 matches he was still trusted and he delivered by picking up 4 wickets in the 4th Test. Rishabh Pant's captaincy was being questioned after the first two games but he got a hang of it for the next two. India will now play 2 T20Is against Ireland under the leadership of Hardik Pandya with VVS Laxman set to be the coach. Rahul Dravid along with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer will join the rest of the Test team in England.
Also read: How much will KL Rahul's absence in the England Test affect India?
