END OF OVER:20 | 20 Runs 1 Wkt | ENG: 188/8 (37 runs required, RR: 9.40)
- Sam Curran14 (3b)
- Adil Rashid0 (0b)
- Shardul Thakur4-0-45-3
- T Natarajan4-0-39-1
11.20pm Kohli collects the trophy and hands it to the newest members of the squad - Suryakumar and Kishan. They lift the trophy and celebrate with their team-mates. That's all she wrote for this T20I series. Thanks for your company and comments. Make sure you come back for the three-match ODI series, which begins on March 23. All three matches will be played behind closed doors in Pune. Until then, this is Deivarayan Muthu signing off for Saurabh Somani. Take care and good night
Kohli, India captain and Player of the Series: I think it was a complete game for us and [we] outplayed the opposition even with so much dew coming in. The fact that Rishabh [Pant] and Shreyas [Iyer] didn't even come to bat and that we got to 230 was a testimony to the batting performance. Good returns for us. We were positive in our intent and we wanted to take the game forward. Tonight it was classic Rohit Sharma and if plays more freely like that...Suryakumar and Hardik in the end - I enjoyed the partnerships. Yes, I'm going to open in the IPL as well (will you continue to open for India?) We do have a solid middle order now - it's about the two best players getting maximum no of balls in T20 cricket. I'd like to parner Rohit at the top and the other guys feel confident when one of us are in. I'd like that to continue. It (arrival of Kishan and Surya) has pleased me also how Shreyas has batted in the first game and last game. Ishan was brilliant but I was particularly pleased with Surya. Hardik and Bhuvi coming back well. Nattu came back in and bowled two crucial overs today. Pant has shown maturity to bat in difficult situations and it has been a series of plusses for us. The confidence levels of Thakur after the Test series is sky-high - even with the bat. Proper, proper cricketer. I just found out we may play some more T20 series after the Tests.
Bhuvneshwar, Player of the Match: Good to be back and contribute to the team. Feeling good body-wise, bowling with the new ball and death bowlers... So, good to take wickets. When you get a wicket with a new ball, it gives you confidence.
11.10pm Morgan, England captain: I think the series facing a strong Indian team was fantastic... India outplayed us in the big moments of the game and deserved to win. As a general principle we bat deep - we try to take advantage of it - but couldn't do so in big moments. In South Africa against South Africa, we chased 225. Huge plusses for us will be the powerplay bowling. Have to commend Adil Rashid for the new role with the new ball. That gives us the extra option. No, not really [any worries]. The top order really well in the two wins we did win.
10.50pm From being 1-2 down in the series, India have bounced back in remarkable fashion to seal the series. That they have done so having batted first will please Kohli. It was something he wanted to tick off this series.
Sure, there were contributions from several Indian players, but Bhuvneshwar was the difference between the two sides on what turned out to be the best batting deck this series. He bowled Roy in the first over and then returned in the middle to best Buttler. All up, he bowled 17 dots in his four overs, despite the onset of dew, against a power-packed line-up. Thakur also did his bit with his slower variations to help Bhuvneshwar kill the chase. Malan hit form in the decider and became the fastest to 1000 T20I runs to offer the England fans some cheer, but they have some work to do in the approach to the World Cup.
ICYMI: Archer is likely to miss the first half of IPL 2021
Here is Thakur: It's great to be standing here again and it's the most important game of the series. Again, England are the No.1 team, but it was important for us to show them we are in the race too. It feels great, but to do the job for the team is what matters, the wickets don't matter. I think the bench strength has become bigger. Whoever comes in gels in. The seniors - Virat, Rohit, Bumrah, Shami - and the coaching staff have put in a lot of ideas and efforts. It's just about intent and hard work though a lot of dew is coming in. I don't really think about whether somebody else will take my place. I do talk a lot with Saini, Deepak Chahar and Natarajan - we share our ideas and that's the thing that stands out.
Hardik Pandya: Just a slightly newer ball, otherwise it just feels the same. I have been working on fine-tuning my action and at the end of the day when you go into the nets, I don't think you can focus too much. I feel my body is ready to take it and [I'm] coping well. When I played as a batsman, I think the same way as an allrounder. When I bat, it helps that I can think as a bowler. Looking at the World Cup, we wanted to try out a few things. To bat first and win games...the dew was there but our bowlers were pretty smart and it was top class. We didn't speak much about using slower balls, but the wicket allowed us to do it. The variation is our strength as well. The batsman is always guessing and that one fraction of a second you get changes the game.
CJ Jordan c Yadav b Thakur 11 (23m 10b 0x4 1x6) SR: 110.00
Thakur will finish it off for India.
Abhishek: "As wonderful a bowler Nattu is, with Bumrah for sure to play, it might be hard for him to nail his place down. India might not want to play two no 11s. Given the emphasis they have recently placed on lower order runs. Especially if Chahal or Kuldeep also plays."