Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow starred with the bat for England as they handed an eight-wicket defeat to India during the third T20I on Tuesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Before Buttler (83*) and Bairstow (40*) ran riot, it was Mark Wood (3/21) and Chris Jordan (2/35) who dismantled the famed Indian batting line-up to help their team take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

While India captain Virat Kohli, who played a blinder of an innings, scoring 77 off 46 balls, heaped praises on the visiting side, he was critical of his own team and said that the Indian players’ body language exhibited during the second-half of the game was not acceptable. He further added that they lacked ‘intensity and energy.’

“The England bowlers were absolutely brilliant with the new ball. In the first six overs, they hardly gave us anything and made our lives very difficult. We tried to come back as well as we could but I don’t think our body language in the second half was acceptable in the field. Defending 160, you need intensity and energy and that was lacking tonight,” Virat Kohli said during the post-match presentation.

India opener KL Rahul, who continued his draught run and scored a four-ball duck, received support from captain Kohli. “I was going through a lean patch two days back. He (KL Rahul) has been a champions player. He’ll continue to be one of our main players along with Rohit at the top of the order,” the Indian captain added.

On the other hand, England captain Eoin Morgan praised his bowlers for their “exceptional” display. “When you look at conditions tonight, Adil started well and when the pacers came on, the carry that we saw was a bit of a surprise for us. I thought the first half of our bowling was exceptional,” he said.

Morgan, without fail, lauded Buttler for his whirlwind innings and helping England overhaul the target. “Jos is a world-class player and he has averaged upwards of 50 and striking at 150 at the top. There’s very little you have to say to Jos. He’s been in incredible form and he’s a great leader within our group,” Morgan said.

The fourth T20I between India and England will be played on March 18.