Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

India seal T20 series win over England amid substitution controversy

India have now remained unbeaten in 17 consecutive T20 series at home since 2019.

harshit-rana-getty

Fast bowler Harshit Rana, making his T20 debut as a concussion substitute, took 3-33 to help India bowl out England for 166. (Photo: Getty Images)

INDIA secured a T20 series victory against England on Friday, winning the fourth match by 15 runs in Pune to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series.

Fast bowler Harshit Rana, making his T20 debut as a concussion substitute, took 3-33 to help India bowl out England for 166.


Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube put on an 87-run partnership for the sixth wicket, lifting India from 79-5 to 181-9 after being asked to bat first. Rana and leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi each took three wickets to ensure India’s win.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav acknowledged the team's early struggles but praised the middle-order recovery.

"Three wickets in one over was too much," he said. "But the positivity, and the way Dube and Pandya showed their experience in the middle was great."

India have now remained unbeaten in 17 consecutive T20 series at home since 2019.

Concussion substitute controversy

Rana’s inclusion as a substitute for Dube, who was hit on the helmet by Jamie Overton in the final moments of India’s innings, became a major talking point. His selection, not being a like-for-like replacement, drew criticism from former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen during the live broadcast.

"It is still a dream debut for me," Rana said. "When Dube came back, after two overs I was informed I will be the concussion substitute."

Rana played a key role in England’s chase, dismissing Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethel, and catching Jos Buttler at short third man off Bishnoi’s bowling. Spinners Bishnoi (3-28) and Varun Chakravarthy (2-28) supported him in restricting England’s batting.

England's chase falls short

England started strongly, with Phil Salt and Ben Duckett putting together 62 runs in 36 balls. However, their dismissals shifted momentum in India’s favour.

Harry Brook kept England in the contest with a 26-ball 51, but Chakravarthy dismissed him in the same over he took another wicket, tilting the match in India's favour.

The rest of England’s batting collapsed, with the team bowled out in 19.4 overs.

Mahmood’s early impact

Earlier, England opted to bowl, and Saqib Mahmood, replacing Mark Wood, struck early.

He dismissed Sanju Samson for 12 with his first ball and then removed Tilak Varma, narrowly missing a hat-trick as Suryakumar Yadav survived the next delivery. However, Yadav lasted only four balls before Mahmood dismissed him for a duck.

Rinku Singh (30) and Abhishek Sharma (29) attempted to counter-attack, but Adil Rashid broke the stand by removing Abhishek.

Brydon Carse took Rinku’s wicket, but Dube and Pandya steadied India's innings.

Pandya hit four fours and four sixes in his 30-ball innings before being dismissed by Overton. Dube, who was dropped on zero by Buttler and went on to be named man of the match, was run out on the final ball.

Reflecting on the loss, Buttler said, "Disappointing, we did some good things. I dropped a catch and Dube played a really good innings. We were in a fantastic position with the bat, then lost wickets together."

(With inputs from AFP)

More For You

India vs England

The win was India’s first Test victory in nine matches at Edgbaston, where they had previously suffered seven defeats and a draw.

Getty Images

India level series with big win over England as Akash Deep takes 10 wickets

INDIA defeated England by 336 runs in the second Test at Edgbaston on Sunday, levelling the five-match series 1-1. Akash Deep, playing in place of rested pacer Jasprit Bumrah, took 10 wickets in the match — his first 10-wicket haul in Test cricket.

England were bowled out for 271 while chasing a target of 608. Deep took 6-99 in the second innings, ending with match figures of 10-147 — the best of his eight-Test career so far.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shubman-Gill-Getty

Gill's 430 runs in the match made him only the fifth batter to score over 400 in a single Test. (Photo: Getty Images)

Gill sets Test record as England face massive chase at Edgbaston

INDIA captain Shubman Gill became the first batter in Test history to score 250 and 150 in the same match, before Mohammed Siraj and Akash Deep struck early to put India in control of the second Test at Edgbaston on Saturday.

Gill followed his first-innings 267 with 161 off 162 balls in the second innings. India declared at 427-6 after tea on the fourth day, setting England a target of 608 runs to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mohammed Siraj 'loving the challenge' of leading India's attack

Mohammed Siraj in action. Reuters/Paul Childs

Mohammed Siraj 'loving the challenge' of leading India's attack

MOHAMMED SIRAJ said he "loved the challenge" of leading India's attack in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah after taking a six-wicket haul in the second Test against England at Edgbaston on Friday (4).

There was widespread criticism when India, who lost last week's series opener at Headingley, omitted outstanding spearhead quick Bumrah, the world's top-ranked Test bowler, from their team in Birmingham.

Keep ReadingShow less
Akash-Deep-Getty

Akash Deep gave away 12 runs in his first over but returned to bowl a double-wicket maiden in his second. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

England in trouble after Gill’s double century and Akash Deep’s early strikes

INDIA captain Shubman Gill scored his first Test double century as India posted 587 in their first innings on the second day of the second Test against England at Edgbaston on Thursday. England were 77-3 at stumps, trailing by 510 runs.

Gill’s 269 was the foundation of India’s innings, before stand-in fast bowler Akash Deep removed two England batters in consecutive balls. Deep is playing in this match as Jasprit Bumrah, the world’s top-ranked Test bowler, is being rested. Bumrah is set to play only three of the five matches in this series due to a back injury.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gill becomes first Asian captain to score double-century in England

Shubman Gill reacts to reaching his double hundred on day two of the second cricket test match against England at Edgbaston cricket ground in Birmingham, central England on July 3, 2025. (Photo by DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)

Gill becomes first Asian captain to score double-century in England

SHUBMAN GILL etched his name in cricket history on Thursday (3), becoming the first Indian and Asian captain to score a double-century in a Test match on English soil as he powered India to a commanding position at Edgbaston.

The 25-year-old skipper scored 269 on the second day of the second Test, having shattered multiple records in a masterful innings that has put England to the sword.

Keep ReadingShow less