England right-arm seamer Saqib Mahmood made a historic mark during the fourth T20I of the five-match series against India at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Friday.
In a remarkable turn of events, Mahmood took three wickets in his first over of the tour without conceding a single run. On the first two balls of the over, he dismissed Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma, and then on the final ball of the over, he removed India’s skipper, Suryakumar Yadav. This remarkable achievement marked the first time in men’s T20 international history that a bowler has claimed three wickets in a single over.
Earlier, in the match, England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bowl first.
In terms of the Indian team lineup, there were a few notable changes. Washington Sundar was replaced by Shivam Dube, Arshdeep Singh returned to the playing XI in place of Mohammed Shami, and Rinku Singh came in for Dhruv Jurel.
For England, Mark Wood was replaced by Saqib Mahmood, and Jamie Smith made way for Jacob Bethell.
Batting first, the Men in Blue posted a total of 181 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Among the notable performances for India, Hardik Pandya stood out with a stupendous knock of 53 runs from 30 balls (4 fours and 4 sixes), securing his half-century in the 18th over.
With the win, India now leads the series 3-1, heading into the final match of the series.