Photo: Twitter/ @WisdenIndia

England may have ended on the wrong side of the result in the fifth and final T20I game against India, but nevertheless it was a memorable evening for their talismanic batsman Dawid Malan. The southpaw reminded all of his capabilities, top scoring for his team with 68 runs, keeping England in the hunt for an improbable chase at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

It was India who batted first on the night, and thanks to a splendid knock by skipper Virat Kohli managed to score in excess of 220 runs. In response, England had a horrible start as opener Jason Roy was dismissed without opening his account. The early wicket however didn’t dent England’s intent, as new man Malan came out all guns blazing.

The southpaw welcomed Hardik Pandya into the attack with two fours and a six as England made good use of their powerplay. The top-ranked T20I side managed to score 62 off the first six overs, as Malan and Jos Buttler staged a fightback.

The duo added 130 runs for the second wicket, giving India an almighty scare in the crucial fifth T20I game. Malan expertly timed his innings, allowing Buttler to be the primary aggressor while making sure he too punished the bad balls. The 33-year-old scored nine fours and two sixes in his innings, silencing his critics with his performance.

Malan also became the fastest player to get to 1000 T20I runs, piping Babar Azam by getting to that mark after just 24 innings. The number one ranked T20I batsman however could not stay till the end, as he was knocked over by a Shardul Thakur yorker in the 15th over. Malan’s wicket triggered a collapse for the visitors, who ultimately fell short by 36 runs.

Chris’ crazy catch

Another noteworthy moment of the match came in the 14th over of the Indian innings, as Suryakumar Yadav couldn’t believe his luck over his dismissal. The 30-year-old hoisted Adil Rashid on the leg side for what looked to be a certain six, but Chris Jordan calmly spirited across his boundary and nonchalantly stuck out his arm to take one of the best catches of the year. Fearing he’d go over the ropes, Jordan then calmly relayed the ball to Jason Roy to put an end to a menacing Yadav innings and become the talk of the town on social media for his efforts.