Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to India's win in 4th IND vs ENG 2025 T20I ft. Sanjay Manjrekar & Kevin Pietersen

Team India secured a thrilling 15-run win over England in the fourth T20I in Pune on Friday, January 31. The match, which had several ebbs and flows, saw the hosts finally prevail in the final over to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five series.

It was India's sixth consecutive bilateral T20I series win, with the 2024 T20 World Cup title sandwiched between them. The Men in Blue have not lost a T20I series since the West Indian tour in 2023.

India also continued their home domination by extending their T20I series unbeaten streak at home to 17. They last lost a home T20I series way back in February 2019 to Australia.

Coming to the fourth T20I against England, it wasn't all smooth sailing for Suryakumar Yadav's men. They were reeling at 12/3 in the first innings before half-centuries from Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube resurrected the ship.

Even after posing a formidable 181, India were in trouble several times during England's reply. The visitors were coasting at 62/0 in the sixth over and later at 129/4 in the 15th over.

Yet, Team India's relentless pursuit of victory helped them fight their way back against all odds to pull off a sensational win.

Most of the renowned experts had contrasting opinions on India's win in the fourth T20I and their series victory.

#1 Kevin Pietersen

Former England batter Kevin Pietersen hailed India's depth after their series win over England. He felt the Men in Blue could even field a second playing XI that would be competitive in T20Is.

Talking on Star Sports, Pietersen said [as quoted by Crictoday]:

"It is tough to beat India in India as they use the conditions well and use them to their advantage. This is why they have the 17th consecutive T20I series in this part of the world. Look at the talent on the bench and even those who are not even a part of the team at the moment. India are blessed with match-winners, and they can form a second team."

He added:

"The players who are coming in as replacements are giving match-winning performances. This is good for the Indian cricket."

India are missing several first-choice players in the ongoing England series like Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, and Yashasvi Jaiswal. Despite their absence, a convincing series win over the 2022 T20 World Champions proves India's incredible bench strength in the shortest format.

#2 Parthiv Patel

Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel surprised many when he said Team India were lucky to escape with a win in the fourth T20I against England. The hosts looked down and out at several points in the contest with bat and ball before bouncing back to pull off a close win.

Speaking on Star Sports, Patel said [as quoted by Crictoday]:

"India were lucky thrice in the match. They were 12/3 at one stage but Shivam Dube and Hardik Pandya took the total to 181. The two (openers) added 60 runs in 6 overs but Duckett’s wicket gave India a chance to put England under pressure."

He added:

"India got the lucky breakthrough in the form of Brook, who was batting brilliantly before that stroke. He good have easily won the game. His departure brought another scalp in the same over of Varun Chakravarthy as Brydon Carse departed without troubling the scorers."

England were riding on the momentum of their third T20I win and had India on the mat at 12/3 and 79/5. Even as they were chasing over 180, Harry Brook's brilliant half-century meant they were 53 runs away from the target with more than five overs left.

Yet, India found a way to spark a lower-order collapse and script a memorable victory.

#3 Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar credited the Indian spinners, especially Ravi Bishnoi for their win over England. Manjrekar also felt the surfaces for the series being relatively helpful to the spinners added to India's advantage and England's misery.

Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Manjrekar said:

"Bishnoi got the crucial wickets for India. He was the one who made India believe they could win after the kind of start England had. Varun Chakravarthy can't help but get wickets. India would have struggled a bit if Harshit Rana hadn't come to their rescue. But there was still the spin element, Axar Patel as well contributed."

He added:

"There was enough for the spinners to make a mark, unlike the IPL, in this series. To play the big game against the spinners, you need to be exceptional with the bat and that is something England found out in this series."

The Indian spin trio of Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel combined for six of the 10 English wickets in the fourth T20I. Chakravarthy has been particularly unplayable for the England batters, leading the series with 12 wickets at an average of under 10 in four games.

#4 Kamran Akmal

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal hailed Team India for winning the England series with a predominantly young side and a game remaining. Akmal was impressed with India's ability to overcome tricky situations at different points in the series.

Talking about India's win on his YouTube channel 'Catch And Bat with Kamran Akmal,' he said:

"What a team India has. Young team yet winning the England series before even the final T20I game. They took no chances and clinched the series beforehand. It looked like India were in trouble at the start but recovery was sensational. They won the match and the series despite losing the toss. Excellent cricket played by India to beat a top side like England. It wasn't an easy series for such a young Indian team but they played with such courage and maturity levels."

India have been the dominant force of world cricket in T20Is, winning 27 out of their last 30 matches.

#5 Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra was unimpressed by India's bowling combination despite the series win against England. Similar to the rest of the series, the Men in Blue went with a spin-dominated attack and only the lone specialist pacer in Arshdeep Singh.

However, they received a massive break when Harshit Rana replaced Shivam Dube as the concussion substitute for India's bowling innings under controversial circumstances.

Speaking on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the analyst said:

"I am still screaming, it's said that we should never blow our own trumpet, but you should have played two fast bowlers. I had kept Mohammed Shami in my team. They kept Mohammed Shami out."

He added:

"Of course, you want to attack with spin, but I am clearly saying repeatedly that in white-ball cricket, there is no ground across the world where you can't play two fast bowlers. Game plans aside, there is no pitch where you can say that one fast bowler is enough. So the game plan is still slightly beyond my understanding. Harshit Rana came and corrected your wrong."

Harshit Rana's fortunate entry into the contest as the second seamer proved vital for India as he finished with game-changing figures of 3/33 in four overs.