Mumbai: India won the T20I series against England with a dominant 4-1 victory. A major highlight of the final match at Wankhede was Abhishek Sharma’s outstanding knock of 135 runs, helping India post a massive total of 247 against England & in response they were bundled on just 97.

The game was witnessed by several bollywood celebrities in attendance, including Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Aamir Khan, who was there with his son Junaid Khan.

After the match, Aamir Khan shared some of his fondest memories of Wankhede Stadium in a video posted by BCCI. He expressed his deep admiration for the Indian team, saying:

“Whenever the Indian team is on the field, there’s a special feeling. If I had ever been a part of the team in any capacity, it would have been a huge honor and a matter of pride for me.”

Aamir recalled two of the most unforgettable matches he witnessed at Wankhede. The first was India’s 2011 World Cup final victory, saying, “That was a special day for all of us one that no one will ever forget.” His second memorable moment was Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell match.

“I was here when Sachin retired. He is my favorite player and a very special cricketer to me he always will be.”

“I used to collect those postcards of the first Indian team I fell in love with” – Aamir Khan

Speaking about the India-England rivalry, Aamir said it’s always a joy to watch these games. He even joked about how this rivalry was featured in his film Lagaan. When asked to describe England using a dialogue from Andaaz Apna Apna, he humorously quoted Crime Master Gogo:

“Aankhein nikal kar gotiya khelunga.”

Aamir also praised Indian cricket for its evolution over the years, sharing that he has been a fan since childhood. He reminisced about collecting postcards of Indian players, saying,

“I used to collect those postcards of the first Indian team I fell in love with.”

Before concluding, Aamir congratulated the India U-19 women’s team for winning the ICC U-19 T20 World Cup by defeating South Africa.

“This is the second time you’ve won the championship, and we are so proud of you.”

Update

Toss

Jos Buttler Wins Toss, Elect To Bowl Against India. India make three changes with Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh and Rinku Singh added in Playing XI

Preview

Rinku’ Singh’s availability for the penultimate rubber of the five-match series between India and England, to be played at the Maharashtra Cricket Association’s stadium in Pune, was on top of everyone’s mind.

India had a reason to smile on the eve of the match when the left-handed batter stepped on to the field for the warm-ups. By the time Ryan ten Doeschate, the assistant coach, confirmed his availability for Friday’s game and returned to the field, Rinku was already batting in the nets.

Rinku’s addition as a finisher will certainly help the India think-tank to persist with its obsession of left- and right-hand combination at the crease. More importantly, it will give Hardik Pandya a much-needed support in the role of a finisher. Rinku’s ability to clear the field under pressure will mean Hardik can also free his arms up more often that he did in Rajkot.

If Rinku manages to stave off the fiery challenge of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, India will in all likelihood be able to travel to Mumbai with yet another home series win, with a match to spare.

While Rinku is likely to replace Dhruv Jurel – who was wasted at No. 8 in the last match – India will be hoping for Mohammed Shami to get into even better rhythm with the ball. With an eye on the Champions Trophy, India will want Shami to keep building towards the bigger challenge.

England, meanwhile, will be hoping to crack the Varun Chakravarthy riddle before time runs out. Unless Jos Buttler and Co. manages to save its wickets, it will have an uphill task to keep the series alive.

Mumbai: With only two days left for the potential deciding T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, tickets are yet to be made available online by the stakeholders. With tickets set to be available at District Care, the platform clarified on X that it will be available soon and urged fans to maintain patience.

A user on X named Sahej Dutta tagged their handle on the platform and asked, “When will the next phase of tickets for Ind vs Eng Mumbai match be live?” The response received from the handle was, “Hi Sahej, we know how exciting this is! Mumbai T20 tickets will be available soon—stay tuned to our platform and social media for the latest updates. We appreciate your patience!”

The venue last hosted a T20I in January 2023 against Sri Lanka when the Men in Blue won by two runs. Axar Patel had top-scored with 41 off 23 deliveries, laced with four sixes, India had reached 162 in their stipulated 20 overs. The Lankans did their best to get close to the target but failed to do so. The latest game against England is slated for February 2, 2025.

Jos Buttler and co. kept five-match T20I series against India alive with a victory in Rajkot

England, meanwhile, kept the five-match series against India alive with a 26-run win as they pulled one back after losing the first two matches. However, they face another must-win game in Pune if they want to be 2-2 up ahead of the fifth and final T20I in Mumbai.

Buttler’s form with the bat has been encouraging in the series as well, compiling scores of 68, 45 and 24 but will still want to target bigger scores. The tourists’ bowling performance was the biggest positive in the fourth T20I as it helped them recover from yet another batting collapse.