England crush India by 9 wickets to seal historic T20I series win in Bristol
Bristol, July 10
India's struggles in the five-match T20I series against England continued on Thursday as they suffered a nine-wicket defeat in the fourth game in Bristol, handing the hosts an 3-0 lead with one match still to play.
The defeat marked the second series loss under new captain Shreyas Iyer, who continues to search for his first victory as India's T20I skipper.
This marks the first time England have defeated India in a bilateral T20I series involving two or more matches. India had won five of their previous six bilateral T20I series against England, while one series ended in a draw.
Before the ongoing tour, India's last two bilateral series defeats against England across formats came during the 2018 tour, when they lost the ODI series 2-1 and the Test series 4-1.
Since then, India had enjoyed a dominant run against England, winning eight of their 10 bilateral series, with the remaining two being drawn Test series in England that ended 2-2. After the opening match was washed out due to rain, England bounced back in dominant fashion, winning three successive games to seal the series.
Chasing a modest target of 159, England's batters made light work of India's bowling attack, with Harry Brook and Phil Salt smashing commanding half-centuries to guide the hosts home in just 13.5 overs.
Salt slammed 59 runs off 42 balls, while skipper Brook smashed 79 off just 35 balls laced with 8 fours and 4 sixes.
Earlier, India struggled to find momentum with the bat, managing 158/7 despite a fighting unbeaten knock from Iyer. The captain stood tall amid the collapse, scoring 80 not out off 49 deliveries, but lacked support from the other end as England's bowlers kept the visitors in check.
Young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi endured another disappointing outing, falling for 15 off 10 balls after being dismissed by Jofra Archer.
Archer and Josh Tongue were the pick of the England bowling attack, claiming two wickets each to restrict India's scoring rate.
With the series already decided, India will look to salvage pride in the final T20I, while England will aim to complete a comprehensive series victory.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Brook's innings was pure class! As an Indian fan, it hurts to lose like this, but we can't keep blaming the pitch or conditions. Our bowling attack looks too predictable in T20s, and the middle order is shaky. Time for some tough decisions before the next tournament. 😔
I understand the frustration, but let's not panic. Every team goes through rebuilding phases. Iyer has potential, but he needs a strong support system from the management. The young players like Sooryavanshi should be given more chances, not dropped after a couple of failures. Rome wasn't built in a day.
England played brilliantly, no doubt. But our selection needs to be questioned—why are we persisting with players who are out of form? The bowling attack was taken to the cleaners. At least Iyer showed fighting spirit with the bat. Hope the team management takes this seriously and brings in fresh talent. 💪
158 was never going to be enough on a flat pitch, especially with Salt and Brook in such form. I respect the fact that we are resting senior players, but the transition needs to be smoother. The final match is about pride now—let's hope we can at least end on a high note. What say, guys? 🏏
It's tough being an Indian cricket fan these days, but we must support the team through highs and lows. Iyer's captaincy needs improvement—field placements and bowling changes were questionable. But let's not forget, series wins don't come easy overseas. This is a learning curve
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