Team India is now ranked number 1 in the revised ICC Men’s T20 rankings. They edged past England with a lead of 7 points. This comes after India won the 3-match T20 international series against Australia. India tops the rankings with a rating of 268 points, followed by England with 261 points.
The men in blue faced a setback in the first T20 international in Mohali as they failed to defend a gigantic total of 208 and lost the game. The Asia Cup 2022 wounds were reopened when the pacers once again failed to step up. The death specialist duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Harshal Patel together gave away a total of 101 runs.
Team India stages a perfect comeback!
Team India arrived in Nagpur for a do-or-die game. However, rain played a massive spoilsport. The umpires gave a green signal for a game of 8 overs per side. Bumrah made his much-awaited comeback. India dominated bowling first. Indian captain, Rohit Sharma, led from the front in a chase of 91. Wickets kept falling on one end, but Rohit held his ground from the other side. India chased the total with 4 balls to spare and leveled the series at 1-1.
Both camps arrived in Hyderabad for the series decider. Australia managed to put pressure on the Indian bowlers in the powerplay by batting first. However, India managed to pull things back by restricting them to 186. Team India did not have a great start as they lost both their openers in the powerplay. Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav took charge and built a match-winning partnership. Surya continued his exceptional form and perished after scoring 69 off 36 deliveries.
The match was hanging on the wire. But, Hardik Pandya calmed his nerves and brought India home with a series win. This victory is a massive confidence booster for Team India as they head to the T20 World Cup in a few weeks.
India would want to prolong its stay at the top
The upcoming series against South Africa will be a good opportunity for the men in blue to consolidate their position at the top. The Proteas currently occupy the third position with 258 points. England can bounce back quickly. They are playing a 7-match T20 series against Pakistan. The unusually long series was organized to compensate for last year’s abandoned tour. The series stands tied at 2-2. Pakistan had a narrow escape as they won a last-over thriller in the last game.
Pakistan and South Africa have 258 points each. They too have a good chance to climb forward. New Zealand and Australia are in fifth and sixth, respectively.
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