England fall to 15-run defeat despite Saqib Mahmood’s three wickets as India seal series win in controversial circumstances in Pune

Saqib Mahmood marked his recall by opening with a triple wicket maiden but it was the controversial intervention of another fast bowler that plunged England to Twenty20 series defeat.

India were reduced to 12 for three after Jos Buttler won his first toss here in four attempts, yet it was three wickets from Harshit Rana – a player who arguably should not have been permitted to take the field – that helped settle the contest by 15 runs.

Rana was allowed to replace Shivam Dube as a concussion substitute eight overs into England’s chase.

There was no disputing the medical judgment after Dube was struck a resounding blow on the helmet by Jamie Overton from the penultimate delivery of India’s 181 for nine.

But the rubber-stamping of his replacement by match referee Javagal Srinath, the former India international, was certainly up for scrutiny.

Regulations state that replacement players must be like-for-like, but India were somehow permitted to bring in a fast bowler with two runs to his name in 25 Twenty20 career appearances for a batting all-rounder Dube, whose overs contribution during his most recent dozen T20 international outings stood at just nine.

Adding an extra specialist bowler to the equation strengthened India’s defence of the biggest total of the series and when Liam Livingstone edged behind from just Rana’s second delivery in international cricket, England were reduced to 95 for four in the 12th over.

England’s innings was resuscitated by Harry Brook’s 25-ball 50, following the loss of three wickets in as many overs stymied a charge begun by Ben Duckett flaying 39 runs in the powerplay.

Livingstone’s dismissal left England vulnerable, however, and when Brook followed the raising of his bat with a fatal scoop off nemesis Varun Chakravarthy, the tail was exposed.

Rana returned to account for Jacob Bethell and when he casted Jamie Overton’s stumps, it left the tourists’ equation at 19 required off six balls.

And a match that had started so promisingly had been yanked from England’s grasp.

Despite being named as man of the series in England’s 3-1 win over West Indies last November, Mahmood was overlooked in selection for the first three matches of this series.

That was perhaps in part due to the fact that the 27-year-old was behind his fellow seamers in preparing for this tour after unnecessary Indian red tape over his Visa as someone with Pakistani heritage.

However, the Lancashire fast bowler wasted no time in making his mark in an extraordinary return to the side, replacing the rested Mark Wood, striking three times in his first six balls.

Mahmood celebrated a wicket with his first delivery, banged halfway down the pitch, as Sanju Samson picked out deep square-leg.

Tilak Varma’s immediate counter-attack proved fatal when his open shoulder swing flew off the edge to a diving Jofra Archer at third man and although the hat-trick ball did not find its way into the hands of any of the clutch of close catchers, the final ball of the over did as Brydon Carse held on for a second time – at short mid-on on this occasion.

That dismissal of India captain Suryakumar Yadav was met by disbelief by Mahmood and as it sunk in that India were 12 for three, England celebrated to deafening silence.

The 40,000 full house were roused by the positivity to a crisis shown by left-handed duo of Abhishek Sharma and Rinku Singh but the dismissal of the former, hauling an Adil Rashid googly to deep midwicket preceded arguably the most decisive moment of the innings.

World Cup winner Dube, appearing for the first time in this series following injury, poked uncertainly at his first ball but Buttler could not cling on at slip.

Dube made England pay for the missed opportunity, combing in a stand of 87 in just seven overs with Hardik Pandya that threatened to surge India from the depths of despair to a score of 200.

Pandya led the way, taking 39 from his final 13 deliveries, a spell punctuated by four sixes, while Dube matched his 53 before being run out from the final delivery of the innings.

Duckett’s turbo-charged approach looked promising but India had not lost consecutive T20 internationals for 18 months and you had to go back to June 2022 for the most recent such occurrence at home.

They were intent on preserving such a record come what may and Buttler’s 50th match as England captain in this format therefore contained a bitter ending.