Ahmedabad: After registering an emphatic eight-wicket win in the third T20I against India, England skipper Eoin Morgan on Tuesday said that he was surprised to see so much carry on the pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Kohli played an unbeaten inning of 77 to guide India to 156/6, but the total did not prove enough as Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow made light work of the chase to hand England a victory by eight wickets. Buttler and Bairstow remained unbeaten on 83 and 40 respectively.
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"The carry we saw throughout the whole game, it was surprising. Our guys don't find it too hard to adjust. The first half of our bowling was exceptional. The wicket stayed similar. When there's one short side, you don't know what's a good score. It's just the dynamics of T20 cricket," Morgan told host broadcaster Star Sports at the post-match presentation.
"Jos is a world-class player, we are very lucky to have him. He competes with the best when it comes to opening the batting. He's a great leader within our group. He's a great friend of mine," he added.
Earlier, skipper Virat Kohli's unbeaten knock of 77 runs off just 46 balls helped India post 156/6 in the allotted 20 overs. Down and out going into the last five overs of the innings, Kohli led from the front in all-rounder Hardik Pandya's company as the duo added 69 runs from 30 balls to take the hosts' total past the 150-run mark.
Hardik had joined Kohli with the score on 86/5 in 14.3 overs and what followed was nothing short of a master-class on power-hitting. Interestingly, it was Hardik who played second-fiddle in their 70-run partnership off just 33 balls as Kohli went on a hitting spree. This was India's highest sixth-wicket partnership in T20Is.
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Mark Wood rattled the Indian batters as he dismissed the top-order in no time and the hosts were left reeling inside the first six overs.
With the win in the third T20I, England has now gained a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Both teams will now meet in the fourth T20I on Thursday which will be played at the same venue.
