Player of the match Jos Buttler: “It was nice to spend some time in the middle. I like to stay not-out. It was good to get wickets early on. The start of the innings just felt like a good time to attack. The first six off Chahal gave me the confidence to keep going.”

England captain Eoin Morgan: “I thought the first half of our bowling was exceptional. Jos is a world-class player, we’re lucky to have him. There’s very little you have to say to him. He’s a great leader within our group.”

India captain Virat Kohli: “You don’t want to play knocks that don’t help the team in any way. I think the key was to get partnerships. I was going through a lean patch two games ago (on Rahul’s poor form). He’s a champion player in this format and one of our main players. I do think the toss is becoming too important. England’s bowlers were great. I don’t think our body language was acceptable in the second innings. You need more intensity defending such a total. We want to give Hardik more responsibility with the ball because he’s going to be an important part of this team going forward.”

Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow added an unbeaten partnership of 77 runs to guide England to a comfortable win.

Sportzpics for BCCI

10.33 pm: Jonny Bairstow hits consecutive fours off Shardul Thakur to finish things off. England take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Jos Buttler remains not-out on a classy 83 off 52, with Bairstow unbeaten on 40 off 28.

ENGLAND WIN BY 8 WICKETS!

After 18 overs, England are 150/2 (Jos Buttler 83, Jonny Bairstow 32)
What a shot from Bairstow! Gets down on one knee and plays a scoop off Bhuvneshwar Kumar for four. Nine runs from that over, England need 7 off 12.

After 17 overs, England are 141/2 (Jos Buttler 82, Jonny Bairstow 24)
DROPPED! And another one goes down. This is poor from India. Shardul Thakur returns to the attack and gets Jonny Bairstow’s top edge, but Yuzvendra Chahal makes a meal of it at third-man. Nine runs from that over, England need 16 off 18.

After 16 overs, England are 132/2 (Jos Buttler 81, Jonny Bairstow 16)
Good over from Washington Sundar, just five from it. He finishes with impressive figures of 1/26. England need 25 off 24.

This is now Jos Buttler’s highest score in T20 International cricket.

After 15 overs, England are 127/2 (Jos Buttler 78, Jonny Bairstow 14)
DROPPED! Buttler reverse-sweeps it hard and Kohli can’t hold on to it at point. That should’ve been taken. Chahal finishes with figures of 1/41.

After 14 overs, England are 120/2 (Jos Buttler 73, Jonny Bairstow 12)
Shot! Washington tosses it up and Buttler lifts it over long-on for six. He made that look so easy. Another good over for England as Bairstow swept one for four earlier.

After 13 overs, England are 107/2 (Jos Buttler 66, Jonny Bairstow 6)
Bhuvneshwar returns to the attack and bowls a tight over, just five runs from it. England need 50 off 42.

After 12 overs, England are 102/2 (Jos Buttler 63, Jonny Bairstow 4)
Another good over for England. Buttler hits his second reverse-sweep for four before he and Bairstow run two twos. The visitors are cruising now.

After 11 overs, England are 92/2 (Jos Buttler 57, Jonny Bairstow 1)
Five wides for England! Hardik banged it in and the ball bounced way over Bairstow and even Pant to race to the fence. A wry smile from the Indian all-rounder. England need 65 off 54. India need at least two quick wickets.

Jos Buttler has been at his absolute best tonight.

Sportzpics for BCCI

After 9.4 overs, England are 81/2 – Dawid Malan is gone!
WICKET! Washington Sundar gets the breakthrough as Dawid Malan is stumped. The left-hander stepped out and was beaten by the turn. Good work by Rishabh Pant.

After 9 overs, England are 78/1 (Jos Buttler 50, Dawid Malan 17)
FIFTY FOR JOS BUTTLER! He gets there in just 26 balls. The right-hander has been phenomenal in this innings and has put England in the driver’s seat. Hardik bowls another good over but it gets spoilt as Malan gets a top-edge over Pant for six. The left-hander went for a pull and was beaten for pace.

After 8 overs, England are 68/1 (Jos Buttler 48, Dawid Malan 9)
Brilliant first over from Washington Sundar, just four runs from it. Good little period for India. England need 89 off 72.

Washington Sundar has finally joined the attack.

After 7 overs, England are 64/1 (Jos Buttler 46, Dawid Malan 7)
Hardik Pandya joins the attack and does well to concede just seven runs in his first over, without a boundary being hit. Good use of cutters.

After 6 overs, England are 57/1 (Jos Buttler 43, Dawid Malan 4)
Jos Buttler is on fire! The end of the powerplay and England will be much happier of the two teams. They were 16/0 after the first two overs but have thoroughly dominated since then despite losing the wicket of Jason Roy. And it is Buttler who has put them in the driver’s seat. He plays a superb reverse-sweep off Chahal for four before pulling the last one in the gap for another boundary.

After 5 overs, England are 46/1 (Jos Buttler 34, Dawid Malan 2)
Big over for England! Back-to-back fours and a six for Buttler! The right-hander is motoring along. He clips one for four to fine-leg, then pulls one hard for another four (Ishan Kishan should’ve probably done better at the boundary), and finally pulls it again but for six this time. Poor bowling from Thakur.

After 4 overs, England are 30/1 (Jos Buttler 20, Dawid Malan 1)
Second six of the over from Buttler! Again, he steps out and thumps it over long-on. But Chahal comes back strongly and beats the right-hander’s outside edge by turning it a mile.

After 3.3 overs, England are 23/1 – Jason Roy is gone!
WICKET! Yuzvendra Chahal has struck in his first over! Jos Buttler hit a superb six over long-on off the first ball before Roy attempted a reverse-sweep and perished. Good, low catch from Rohit Sharma at point.

After 3 overs, England are 16/0 (Jason Roy 9, Jos Buttler 7)
Back-to-back fours for Roy! The first one was with authority down the ground and the next one was a top-edge over short-third. Not much Bhuvneshwar did wrong there.

After 2 overs, England are 7/0 (Jason Roy 1, Jos Buttler 6)
Roy survives! Good start from Thakur too as he concedes just three runs in his first over. He brought the last ball back in to Roy and struck the front pad but the umpire said not-out. Kohli took DRS and the review showed the ball missing the leg-stump. Good call from umpire Virender Sharma.

Virat Kohli is back in the field as Shardul Thakur bowls the second over.

After 1 over, England are 4/0 (Jason Roy 1, Jos Buttler 3)
Good first over from Bhuvneshwar. Moves the ball both ways ands strikes Roy on the pad a couple of times. Buttler punches the last ball past cover to pick up three.

Correction: It’s Bhuvneshwar Kumar who is bowling the first over.

8.55 pm: The players are back on the field and we’re ready for England’s chase! Jos Buttler and Jason Roy are at the crease, Yuzvendra Chahal will start things off for India. Rohit Sharma is leading for now as Virat Kohli hasn’t taken the field yet. Suryakumar Yadav is the substitute. Here we go!

INDIA FINISH WITH 156/6
Big last over for the hosts even as Hardik Pandya is dismissed off the last ball. India will be happy with their recovery – they were 24/3 in the sixth over and added 56 in the last four overs. It was a Virat Kohli show all the way as the skipper hit his second successive half-century. He remains not-out on 77 off 46. England will be happy with their bowling performance, though. They definitely have a below-par total in front of them.

After 19 overs, India are 142/5 (Virat Kohli 70, Hardik Pandya 10)
Kohli hits a superb upper-cut and gets another boundary to end that Archer over. Hardik has struggled in this innings, plenty of plays and misses for India’s designated finisher. India will be hoping to get close to 160 with a big final over.

After 18 overs, India are 131/5 (Virat Kohli 66, Hardik Pandya 4)
Kohli is on fire! He pulls Wood for six, before driving one over mid-off for six and finally cutting one over point for four. This is the India captain at his absolute best!

Virat Kohli is back in form all right!

Sportzpics for BCCI

After 17 overs, India are 114/5 (Virat Kohli 50, Hardik Pandya 3)
FIFTY FOR VIRAT KOHLI! The India captain is turning it on! He gets to his half-century off 37 balls with a flick that beat deep mid-wicket and long-on perfectly for four. Earlier in that Chris Jordan over, Kohli hit the shot of the match by flicking it over wide fine-leg. Those Kohli wrists!

After 16 overs, India are 100/5 (Virat Kohli 39, Hardik Pandya 1)
Four and six! Kohli steps out and hits one from Archer over mid-off, before getting a top-edge over the keeper for six. A similar six by Kohli off Archer was hit in the last match too, when the top-edge sailed over third-man. Good over for India even as Pandya plays and misses again.

After 14.3 overs, India are 86/5 – Shreyas Iyer is gone!
WICKET! Shreyas Iyer moved across and then back before cutting one to the fielder in the deep. Mark Wood returns to the attack and gets his third wicket. Iyer plays that shot well usually but it didn’t work this time. He struggled with the short ball in Australia and England tested him with that tonight.

After 14 overs, India are 83/4 (Virat Kohli 26, Shreyas Iyer 7)
Kohli gets four leg-byes as India pick up nine runs in that Curran over. They probably need more than one boundary each over now. Kohli is stepping out consistently and looking for gaps.

After 13 overs, India are 74/4 (Virat Kohli 22, Shreyas Iyer 6)
Adil Rashid finishes a fine spell with figures of 0/26. The pacers did their job in helpful conditions and the leg-spinner ensured he didn’t release the pressure from his end.

After 11.1 overs, India are 64/4 – Rishabh Pant is gone!
WICKET! Oh dear, disaster for India as Rishabh Pant is run-out for 25 off 20. Kohli called him back for a third run after a fumble by the keeper and Pant was well short. Unfortunate dismissal as the left-hander was looking good.

After 11 overs, India are 62/3 (Virat Kohli 18, Rishabh Pant 23)
Vintage Kohli! Jordan pitches it short of a good length and the right-hander flicks it over the infield to the mid-wicket fence for four. Brilliant use of the wrists. Seven runs from that over.

After 10 overs, India are 55/3 (Virat Kohli 14, Rishabh Pant 20)
Two fours for Pant! The left-hander decides to go after the leg-spinner of Rashid and gives India a much-needed push. The fist four was a fine sweep and the next one was driven over cover.

After 9 overs, India are 44/3 (Virat Kohli 13, Rishabh Pant 10)
Stokes concedes six runs in his second over too. India will need to pick up the run-rate soon. It’s a tough position to be in but someone will need to take chances.

After 8 overs, India are 38/3 (Virat Kohli 11, Rishabh Pant 7)
Shot! Kohli steps out and hits one from Rashid straight back for four. Good over for India.

A powerplay to forget for India. They are 24/3. Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant have a big job on their hands.

After 5.2 overs, India are 24/3 – Ishan Kishan is gone!
WICKET! Chris Jordan joins the attack and strikes immediately! Ishan Kishan attempts a pull but gets a top-edge, Jos Buttler runs behind and takes a good catch. India are in serious trouble now. England’s pacers have brought the heat tonight!

After 5 overs, India are 24/2 (Ishan Kishan 4, Virat Kohli 4)
Shot! Kohli gets off the mark in glorious fashion with a picture-perfect cover-drive for four. His team needs a big knock from him tonight.

After 4.4 overs, India are 20/2 – Rohit Sharma is gone!
WICKET! Mark Wood has his second as India lose the big wicket of Rohit Sharma. The second Indian batsmen to be beaten for pace. He hit a four straight back earlier in the over but gloved a pull this time and Jofra Archer took a simple catch at short-fine. India are in trouble as skipper Virat Kohli walks out.

After 4 overs, India are 16/1 (Rohit Sharma 11, Ishan Kishan 4)
First four for India but it’s a streaky one as Rohit gets an inside edge to the fine-leg fence. Archer is bowling with great pace and along with Wood, he is making the most of the green tinge on the pitch.

After 2.3 overs, India are 7/1 – KL Rahul is gone!
WICKET! KL Rahul is out for a duck for a second game straight! Superb bowling from Mark Wood, he generates serious pace immediately and beats Rahul’s defence to rattle the stumps. It was a nothing shot from the right-hander, looks woefully out of form.

After 2 overs, India are 6/0 (Rohit Sharma 5, KL Rahul 0)
Top first over from Archer! The right-arm quick generates good pace and beats Rahul’s bat with a cutter. The pitch has a bit of grass on it and is likely to test the Indian batsmen.

After 1.1 overs, India are 5/0 (Rohit Sharma 5, KL Rahul 0)
DROPPED! Oh dear, Archer has dropped a fairly simple return catch and Rohit survives! The right-hander checked his shot and the ball looped back gently but Archer was seemed to be taken by surprise.

Jofra Archer with the new ball from the other end.

After 1 over, India are 5/0 (Rohit Sharma 4, KL Rahul 0)
Quiet first over from Rashid. A couple of twos on the leg side for Rohit. Not much turn for the leg-spinner first up.

7.00 pm: Right, the players are out on the field and we’re ready for play! KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma are opening the batting for India. Leg-spinner Adil Rashid has the new ball in hand for England. Here we go!

6.57 pm: Important game for KL Rahul tonight.

Saikat Das / Sportzpics for BCCI

6.54 pm: Ishan Kishan, after his exploits in the second T20I, said he is keen to keep learning from skipper Virat Kohli. Read his interview here.

6.38 pm: Playing XIs

India: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal.

England: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (w), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (c), Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

6.34 pm: Virat Kohli says India would’ve preferred to bowl first too. The hosts have one change: Rohit Sharma replaces Suryakumar Yadav. Ishan Kishan to bat at No 3. England also have one change: Mark Wood returns in place of Tom Curran.

6.31 pm: TOSS – Eoin Morgan has won the toss and England will BOWL first!

6.28 pm: The remaining three T20Is in Ahmedabad will be played without crowds due to the rise in Covid-19 cases. Read all about this here.

6.15 pm: Hello and welcome to live updates from the third T20 International between India and England in Ahmedabad.

After suffering a heavy defeat in the series opener, India bounced back strongly to square things up thanks to skipper Virat Kohli and debutant Ishan Kishan’s brilliant partnership in the second T20I. The hosts will now be keen to take the lead as Eoin Morgan and Co aim to fight back.