England completed a dominant T20I series victory over India with another one-sided performance, thrashing the reigning world champions by nine wickets in Bristol to take an unassailable 3-0 lead with one match still to play.
Just days after bowling India out for 76 at Trent Bridge, England once again exposed the visitors’ batting frailties before Harry Brook and Phil Salt made light work of the chase, cruising to the target of 159 with a staggering 37 balls to spare.
Asked to bat first after winning the toss, India never managed to build sustained momentum. Captain Shreyas Iyer stood alone with an unbeaten 80 off 49 deliveries, producing the only innings of substance in an otherwise underwhelming batting display. The rest of the line-up struggled against England’s relentless pace attack and disciplined death bowling as India limped to 158 for 7 from their 20 overs.
Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue once again set the tone. Archer removed teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for the third consecutive match, with the 15-year-old unable to make a meaningful impact after previous scores of 13 and 14. Tongue dismissed Ishan Kishan cheaply before Adil Rashid accounted for Abhishek Sharma, leaving India reeling at 48/3 inside seven overs.
Iyer attempted to rebuild the innings with a 53-run partnership alongside Shivam Dube before accelerating impressively in the closing stages. His assault on Rashid briefly hinted at a competitive total, but England wrestled back control brilliantly. Sam Curran and Archer conceded just eight runs in the final two overs, while Archer capped another outstanding spell by effecting Axar Patel’s run-out with a sharp piece of fielding.
If there was any hope of India defending 158, England quickly extinguished it.
Jos Buttler struck an early six before edging behind for eight, but that was the only breakthrough India would enjoy. Brook and Salt dismantled the attack with calculated aggression, racing to 62/1 in the powerplay before adding an unbeaten 146-run partnership.
Brook led from the front with an unbeaten 79, peppering the boundary with eight fours and four sixes, while Salt provided ideal support with a composed 59 not out from 42 deliveries as England wrapped up victory in just 13.5 overs.
The result underlines England’s complete dominance throughout the series and leaves India with serious questions heading into the final match in Southampton. Another England victory would not only complete a 4-0 series triumph but also see Brook’s side replace India at the top of the ICC T20I rankings.
After the match, Iyer admitted India had fallen well short.
“It was another disappointing performance. We fell short in execution,” the skipper said, while insisting the team was learning during a period of transition. “We are in a transition stage. A lot of youngsters are playing in these conditions for the first time. They need to adapt and learn quickly from their mistakes.”
