Not Harry Brook or Jofra Archer! Jos Buttler names 'most important player' in Team England after crushing India

Under the leadership of Jos Buttler, England National Cricket Team locked horns with the Suryakumar Yadav-led India National Cricket Team in the third T20I of the five-match series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.

Jos Buttler's England National Cricket Team defeated the India National Cricket Team by 26 runs on Tuesday, January 28, to make the series scoreline 2-1.

Also Read: Watch: Jofra Archer’s blinder ends Abhishek Sharma’s explosive innings in 3rd T20I

England crushed India

Jos Buttler's team delivered a great performance after losing the first two matches. After losing the toss, they posted a good total of 171/9 on the board, thanks to the all-round contribution.

From the top, Ben Duckett smashed a fifty, and Liam Livingstone played a quickfire knock in the middle order. Also, the lower of the visitors made significant contributions and took the team to a good score.

Defending the total, the English bowlers brought out their best and bagged wickets at regular intervals. They didn't allow any Indian batter to settle and play longer innings. Eventually, they restricted India to 145/9 in their 20 overs to clinch a victory.

That was the difference in the end - Jos Buttler on Adil Rashid and Mark Wood's partnership

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Jos Buttler lauded his bowlers for their terrific performance, and he particularly praised Adil Rashid for his bowling figures of 1/15. He also lauded Jofra Archer for making a stunning comeback following his failure in the previous match. Jos Buttler said:

"The guys bowled really well, was nice to show-off their skills. Not about how fast they can bowl, but how well they can adapt to the wicket. He's the most important player in our team, we are fortunate to have Rashid in the team. He has all variations. Jofra is consistent, he won't go for sixes often, but he will come back for sure if he does."

Jos Buttler, however, was disappointed that they lost wickets at regular intervals while batting first. In the end, he talked about the bowlers and said that the partnership of Mark Wood and Adil Rashid made the difference in the match.

"I think the wicket looked different, Duckett played well. We lost wickets in clumps, we were disappointed. It was crucial to pick up wickets in the powerplay. I loved the way we kept pushing and kept taking the game on. Credit to Rashid and Wood, they had a crucial partnership in the end. That was the difference in the end," Jos Buttler said.

How England Performed in the 2nd T20I Against India

England fell short in a nail-biting 2nd T20I against India in Chennai, losing by 2 wickets. After being asked to bat first, England’s innings got off to a poor start with openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett dismissed inside the first four overs.

Captain Jos Buttler tried his best to stabilize the innings with his 45 off 30, supported by Harry Brook (13) and Liam Livingstone (13). However, the Indian bowlers, particularly Axar Patel (2/32) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/38), made things difficult for them, reducing the Three Lions to 136/7 in the 16th over.

From the lower order, Brydon Carse (31 off 17) and Jofra Archer (12*) showcased some hitting, helping England post a decent total of 165/9.

With the ball, the visitors started strongly, with Mark Wood dismissing Abhishek Sharma early and Jofra Archer removing Sanju Samson in the powerplay. Brydon Carse was the standout bowler, delivering a brilliant spell of 3/29, which included the prized scalps of Suryakumar Yadav, Dhruv Jurel, and Washington Sundar.

Adil Rashid (1/14) and Liam Livingstone (1/14) also contributed effectively. However, Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 72 off 55 balls meant that the visitors had to finish on the losing side.