"Dew didn't set in, that played in their favour": Varun Chakravarthy on Rajkot pitch

Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], January 29 (ANI): Varun Chakravarthy reflected on the conditions in Rajkot after India's defeat, highlighting how the pitch slowed down in the second innings, aiding England's bowlers. Despite expectations of dew, it never arrived, which worked in England's favour.
"What I observed was the pitch definitely got slower in the second innings. We thought that there might be dew which might set in, but the dew didn't set in. So, that definitely played in their favour," Chakravarthy said in the post-match press conference.
England's spin attack, led by the experienced Adil Rashid, capitalized on the conditions. While Chakravarthy had an impressive outing in the first innings, picking up five wickets for 24 runs in his four-over spell, Rashid was even more economical in the second innings. The England veteran conceded just 15 runs in his four overs and picked up a crucial wicket.
"And obviously, Adil Rashid is a legend, and he knows how to bowl. He has that control over his speed and, yeah," Chakravarthy added, acknowledging Rashid's mastery.
Adil Rashid, with his precision and skill craft, made the life of the hosts a nightmare.
When India set out to chase down 172, Rashid, with his mastery of spin bowling, overwhelmed the Men in Blue. After India was down to 86/5, Rashid ensured the momentum stayed on England's side.
He kept things tight in the middle phase and laid his traps perfectly to make strike rotation an exacting task for Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel. The seasoned spinner hardly gave away a loose delivery for the batters to latch on and increased the pressure on the duo by letting the asking rate escalate.
Even though Rashid had only one scalp in his wicket column, the value of that wicket and his economical spell signify his importance for England.
Tilak Varma, who was yet to be dismissed in the ongoing series, was outdone by an absolute ripper from Rashid. With an economy rate of 3.80, the experienced ball tweaker was the least expensive across both sides.
On the other hand, Varun turned England's middle order inside out with his deceptive pace and variations. After getting the big fish, England captain Jos Buttler, Varun cleared the middle order to reach his second five-wicket haul in the T20Is for India.
England defeated India by 26 runs in the third T20I on Tuesday 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.
With the pitch slowing down and the absence of dew, England's spinners had the upper hand, making it difficult for India's batters to chase down the target. (ANI)