NICK HOWSON looks at the major events of the fourth and penultimate T20 international in Ahmedabad
India v England: 4th T20 scorecard
Mark Wood taking nothing for granted as he walks fitness tightrope ahead of T20 World Cup and Ashes
At the top of the innings in a pressure-filled T20 international is not the place to try and find some form.
KL Rahul has scored one run in his last four innings at this level, and yet there was a feeling this was the worst knock of the lot.
Fourteen from 17 balls and the powerplay completed is just about as bad as they come.
To his credit, the Punjab Kings captain did hit two fours off Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan, but the rest of the innings was a struggle.
The manner of his demise summed up where Rahul's game is at, as he missed the slower ball and scooped it up to Archer at mid-off.
Virat Kohli gave Rahul a vote of confidence after his second successive duck in the last game and he might be forced to leap to his defence again.
And with Shikhar Dhawan and Ishan Kishan in reserve, there comes a point when a decision has to be made about players with big reputations and those with form.
India have more of those questions to answer than most.
Pulling the best T20 quick in the world into the stands for a maximum will have been how Suryakumar Yadav's dreamt his first delivery in international cricket would go, but he can hardly have imagined that would be realised
The 30-year-old is one of those hoping his IPL form will be enough to displace one of the more established names at the top of the order.
A penny for Kishan's thought, who surprisingly lost his place after an impressive start to life in the international game.
Yadav began his campaign in the grand manner. Jofra Archer unleashed a 90mph bouncer first up, and he stepped across his stumps, whipping him over the rope and into the empty seats. It would surely have been dropped had any fans been in attendance given the celebrations that would have followed.
Just three players have previously hit their first ball in T20 international cricket for a maximum. Mangaliso Mosehle, Glenroy Reynold and Puneet Arora are the others.
It was a remarkable way to announce yourself, but Yadav didn't just stand and admire the stroke. He built on it, made England pay when the radar went askew and claimed a half-century on debut.
And after passing the landmark, he produced the shot of the day, getting down on one knee and lifting Sam Curran's first ball over the rope for another six.
Yadav is a good example of a player who has grown into the IPL, improving virtually every season and making himself impossible to ignore.
It now remains to be seen whether India will go with players in form, or with reputation. The upcoming IPL increasingly looks like an arms race for that final 15.
All about Jos Buttler's giggle here https://t.co/c7J0FjtTWF
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) March 18, 2021
Yadav's fun appeared to have been ended when he was caught by Dawid Malan at deep fine leg off Curran. But that was just the start of it, rather than the conslusion.
Real-time it looked like a good, clean catch from the Yorkshire batter, albeit a close one as he leapt forward.
Umpires KN Ananthapadmanabtan and Nitin Menon seemed to agree but they asked for confirmation from the TV umpire before the finger was raised.
Replays were, at best, inconclusive, with Malan appearing to let the ball slip from his grasp. TV official Virender Sharma couldn't be sure if the ball had brushed the turf or not, and stuck with the on-field decision.
Having said while on the mic that the footage was inconclusive, it was inevitable that he would stick with the original call. He didn't have much choice.
It took four minutes for play to resume and it sparked discussion about the need for a soft signal from the standing umpires.
The debate, led by Michael Atherton and Dinesh Karthik on commentary missed the obvious point that when the TV footage is unable to assist, what decision is given?
If super-slow mo, HD, laser-sighted, hyperspeed cameras can't provide conclusive evidence then the umpire's own opinion deserves to be respected. The umpire's word is still final, despite the sport's best efforts.
Too often sports try to pit TV replays against the officials, rather than use a collaborative approach. If the TV umpires can overrule those in the heat of battle without needing a definitive burden of proof, then we need to start equipping what would be glorified bouncers much better. We can start phasing out of umpires now.
Every umpire decision is virtually a soft signal. DRS allows any call to be overturned with the right amount of proof, via Snicko or hot spot. Replays are no different in that regard.
And if the technology fails, as it did in this instance, where do you go if the umpire cannot make a judgement call?
Soft signals are not perfect, but the alternatives risk making those in the middle obsolete. If they are not already.
Jos Buttler stumps Virat Kohli in the India innings
No crowds on this occasion for the Surrey and Perth Scorchers man in the fourth T20, who has spoken of his delight at being able to play in front of spectators since the Big Bash League.
Though it was a jittery knock at times, Roy became the sixth Englishman to go past 1,000 runs in the format.
For comparison, seven women have already gone through the landmark for England.
Perhaps most impressive about the stat is that Roy scores faster than anyone above him (142.62). Eoin Morgan leads the overall standings from usual suspects Jos Buttler, Alex Hales and Kevin Pietersen.
It lends a bit more context to the brilliance of the right-hander, who remains under the microscope, while Hales continues to be overlooked and Ben Stokes underused.
The next aim will be to reach three figures, which only Hales and Dawid Malan have done before for England.
"I’d say it’s been a bit of a stop-start T20 international career for me, really," he said earlier this week. "I haven’t quite got going properly with those big scores, there’s been no hundreds, so that’s my target.
"To score a hundred in the T20 format, you have to be ultra-aggressive. You’re looking at facing a maximum of 60 balls, really: start in sixth gear up to the sixth over, then go down the gears and then back up again. It’s a mixture of aggression and pretty calculated stuff if you want to get those big scores."
Forget the watered-down ending to rugby union's Six Nations Championship, Ahmedabad is the only place worth focusing your attention this weekend.
The two best teams in T20 international cricket clash in a series decider. No crowd, but plenty of subtext, lots of talent and a psychological blow to land before the World Cup in October and November.
Indeed, it might be the most important game of 20-over cricket played before the showcase tournament. And I include the IPL in that statement.
Ben Stokes was denied a maiden T20I fifty
It feels slightly wrong to be focusing on the length of the game after the best contest of the series so far.
But four hours to bowl 240 deliveries is poor, from both sides. Notwithstanding the umpire deliberations, it is bordering on the unacceptable.
India were fined 20 per cent of their match fee for a slow over-rate earlier in the series. But in the IPL era, is that a serious deterrent?
Run penalties are surely the best way of punishing sides who deliberately take their time between overs and deliveries. It actually means something to the outcome and is an immediate reprimand. Fines are meaningless once you've got the game done and dusted.
The ECB want matches in The Hundred done inside two-and-a-half hours in order to fit them in between Home Under the Hammer and Eastenders. But in a format where strategy is going to be so important, how realistic is that demand?
Our coverage of India vs England is brought to you in association with Dafabet India. For more on Dafabet and to place a bet, click here
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.