Follow UsHardik Pandya (53 off 30) and Shivam Dube (53 off 34) hit quick-fire half-centuries in the fourth T20I against England on January 31 (Friday) to not only help India recover from 79/5 but also record the second-highest partnership for the 6th wicket by an Indian batting pair.
India were put into trouble early when Saqib Mahmood became the first England bowler to take three or more wickets in the powerplay as he dismissed Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav in the same over. Abhishek Sharma batted well again for his 29(19), and so did Rinku Singh (30 off 26).
However, both batters had returned to the pavilion by the 11th over, with India’s run rate hovering between seven and eight runs/over. That’s when Dube, returning to the side following an injury to Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Pandya took the reins of the innings in their hand and carried on the rebuild.
They started opening after the 15th over, and both smashed six scintillating sixes and 11 fours in their partnership. Dube neutralised the threat of Adil Rashid, and Pandya dug into the pacers to help India reach 181 at the end of 20 overs.
Their 87-run partnership is the highest for an Indian batting pair for the sixth wicket. Never before have number six or lower Indian batters scored more than the 110 runs they scored in today’s T20I in Pune.
With India leading the series 2-1, Pandya and Dube have allowed Men in Blue an opportunity to seal the series before the fifth T20I in Mumbai.