Irfan Pathan Reacts On India’s Loss To England In Third T20I

January 29, 2025: Irfan Pathan’s analysis seems spot on. In T20 cricket, the ability to rotate the strike, especially on slower wickets, is crucial to maintaining the momentum.

England defeated India by 26 runs in the third T20I to keep the five-match series alive, making the scoreline 2-1. England set a target of 172 runs, which India could not chase down despite early fireworks from Abhishek Sharma.

“In the T20 format ability to rotate the strike is very important on slightly slower wicket. India left it too much for too late in the end,” Irfan Pathan wrote in a post on X.

India’s late surge, despite Abhishek Sharma’s fiery start, couldn’t make up for the lack of partnerships in the middle overs, which ultimately led to their downfall in the third T20I. England’s bowlers, particularly their disciplined line and length, kept India from building a significant partnership, and the game slipped away as a result.

The way the Indian top order struggled to convert starts into bigger scores was another key factor. With a target of 172, there was always pressure on the lower order, and once the middle order fell, there was simply too much for the tail to chase down.

Varun Chakravarthy’s brilliant bowling performance with 5 wickets was one highlight for India, but in the end, the inability to rotate the strike and build partnerships left them short. The series is still in India’s favor at 2-1, so it will be interesting to see how they bounce back in Pune.