FANTASY
Follow UsIndia earned a hard-fought victory in the fourth Twenty20 International against England and managed to level the five-match series 2-2. The top-two ranked T20I sides will now come face to face in a series-decider at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday (March 20).
Head to Head
Overall: Matches – 18 | IND – 9 wins | ENG – 9 wins
Last five matches: IND – 3 wins | ENG – 2 wins
SUGGESTED TEAMS
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms we have come up with six different teams that could fetch you crucial points.
GROUND DETAILS & TEAM COMBINATION
In this series, the batsmen have scored runs at an average of 30, while a wicket has fallen every 21.7 deliveries. The surface used for the fourth T20I was solid for batting, as more than 360 runs were scored on Thursday (March 18). The bowlers had their say as well, picking up 16 wickets in the game. The fast bowlers have been more successful in this series, picking up wickets at a strike rate of 21.3 and an economy of 7.8, compared to 24.3 and 8.7 respectively of spinners.
The likes of Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Dawid Malan have struggled to get going, while Jason Roy, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Jonny Bairstow have been slightly more consistent. The former three are outstanding while-ball players but it would be ideal to go with as many in-form players as possible. In the bowling department, Shardul Thakur, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have been amongst wickets.
CAPTAIN SUGGESTION
Virat Kohli was dismissed just for one in the fourth T20I but the Indian captain has two 70-plus scores in this series. He didn't have a great start to the series but looked head and shoulders above the rest in the second and third encounter. The right-hander crafted five fours and three sixes in his 49-ball 73* in the second T20I and followed it up with a stunning 46-ball 77* in the third game. Since 2019, Kohli averages 57 in the shortest format of the game and is generally a safe bet when it comes to fantasy cricket.
X-FACTORS
Suryakumar Yadav (31-ball 57) finally got a chance to showcase his skills in international cricket and the stylish right-hander lit up the empty stadium with his exquisite strokeplay in the fourth encounter. Suryakumar's first scoring shot in international cricket was a maximum and later became the fifth Indian batsman to score a fifty in his first T20I innings. The 30-year-old has been a consistent performer for Mumbai Indians and his state side for quite a few years now. Since 2018, Suryakumar averages almost 40 in T20s and has scored over 2500 runs at a strike rate of 146.8.
England may have lost the last match but Jofra Archer had a phenomenal outing. The tearaway paceman first took four wickets and then played a fiery cameo of 18* off 8 deliveries to keep England in the hunt till the very last over. If that wasn't enough, he also took two catches. The tall lanky bowler has been exceptional in the shortest format of the game since 2020. Archer has claimed 32 wickets at a strike rate of 17.8 in 24 T20s in this time frame and could fetch you points in all three departments of the game.
With scores of 26*, 20, 40* and 25, Jonny Bairstow has made a good start in every game but is yet to get that big score. Batting at No. 4, the right-hander has been pretty consistent for England in T20Is. Since 2020, Bairstow has batted at No. 4 on six occasions, having scored 200 runs at an average of 66.67 and a strike rate of 149.3. He has looked good in this series and would now be eager to get that big score in the series-decider.
