‘A firm believer in your best batters batting up front’- Kevin Pietersen analyses India’s 26-run loss vs England

India defeated England by 26 runs in the 3rd T20I  of their five-match series at Rajkot’s Niranjan Shah Stadium. To start, the visitors scored 171 after bouncing back from a middle-order collapse. The English bowling unit held their own in the second half of the match, defending their score with tenacity.

According to former English cricketer Kevin Pietersen, the Indian management made a mistake by placing Dhruv Jurel at number eight.

“India miscalculated their batting order. Batter Dhruv Jurel is a skilled player. He should not have been placed lower in the order for the left and right combo. Pietersen said, “I firmly believe in your best batters batting up front,” in the Star Sports post-game interview.

Pietersen was in agreement with Parthiv Patel, a former Indian batsman and wicketkeeper.

The combination of left and right is fine up until number four, but then you should send your finest batters. Jurel can hit a ball. “He could have built a big innings,” Patel thought.

Interestingly, after the series opener, Jurel replaced Rinku Singh, who was injured. The batter’s series has not gone well thus far; in the second and third games, he scored four and two runs, respectively.

England wins the statement and continues the series.

That being said, on Tuesday, January 28, England behaved in a very clinical manner. They got off to a great start and finished strong when it came to their batting. England’s leading scorers were Liam Livingstone with 43 and Ben Duckett with 51.

Throughout the run-chase, they never allowed the hosts to run away with the game. Their team’s survival in the series was primarily due to outstanding performances from Jamie Overton and Adil Rashid. India now has a 2-1 advantage after the victory. Pune will host the fourth T20I, while Mumbai will host the fifth.