2 Indian players who flopped and 1 who starred in the 4th T20I vs England ft. Sanju Samson

Team India clinched the five-match T20I series against England after winning the fourth encounter by 15 runs at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Friday, January 31. The Men in Blue were challenged at various junctures and seemed like they would be forced to play a decider, but held their nerve in the end.

The coin didn't fall in favor of Suryakumar Yadav, whose team turned in a disappointing powerplay batting display. The captain didn't cover himself in glory, before which a couple of key batters made poor decisions to put the hosts under immense pressure.

At the same time, there were many notable performances from the Indian players. Hardik Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, and debutant concussion sub Harshit Rana were among those who delivered the goods in the crucial clash.

On that note, here are two Indian players who flopped and one who starred in the fourth T20I against England.

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#3 Flop - Tilak Varma

India v England - 4th T20I - Source: Getty

Tilak Varma has been in a rich vein of form in T20I cricket lately, with a match-winning performance in the second outing against England preceded by back-to-back centuries in South Africa. However, in Pune, the southpaw stepped on the wrong side of the line between aggression and silliness.

Tilak charged down the track on his very first ball, trying to hit Saqib Mahmood over the off-side. He got himself in a tangle, and none of the momentum he generated by stepping out went through the shot, which ended up as an edge down to third man.

Tilak's high-risk style of play won't always come off, but there was no reason to attempt such a shot, at such a juncture, against a bowler he wouldn't have faced a lot over the years.

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#2 Star - Shivam Dube

India v England - 4th T20I - Source: Getty

Making his return to the T20I side, Shivam Dube came in at No. 6, which isn't a position he has succeeded at always. However, the fact that his entry point was in the 11th over helped matters as he had some spin fed to him.

Despite India being in a bit of trouble, Dube didn't let the matchup go unscathed. Giving himself a couple of balls to get his eye in, the tall left-hander smashed Adil Rashid over the midwicket boundary to get his innings going. And after that, despite being up against a strong four-pronged pace attack, he found a way to score runs.

Dube completed his half-century towards the end of the Indian innings, striking seven fours and two sixes. He also unwittingly contributed by allowing Harshit Rana to replace him in the second innings in rather controversial circumstances. India will hope that he recovers in time for the final T20I.

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#1 Flop - Sanju Samson

India v England - 4th T20I - Source: Getty

It might be time to start asking whether Sanju Samson has developed a hard-length weakness. For the fourth game in a row, the opening batter was dismissed while trying to play the pull shot, this time against Mahmood.

Samson was cramped for room on the shot as he found the only leg-side boundary rider. With England having clear plans against him, he was expected to adjust and access different areas of the ground. However, the keeper-batter fell into the trap again as his poor series continued.

Samson also shelled a tough chance with the gloves on, although he would've been put off by Varun Chakaravarthy's presence.