By Anietie anii-bassey
India’s struggles in Twenty20 cricket intensified on Thursday after England secured an emphatic nine-wicket victory in the fourth match of the five-game series, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead and sealing their first-ever bilateral T20 series triumph over the world champions.
The defeat marked another low point for India, which has now suffered five consecutive losses in completed T20 internationals, an unprecedented streak for the reigning T20 world champions.
The latest setback comes shortly after India’s surprising 2-0 series defeat to Ireland, raising serious concerns about the team’s form and consistency in the shortest format of the game.
Playing at the County Ground in Bristol, India captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bat first, hoping to halt his team’s slide. However, the visitors once again struggled to build momentum early in their innings.
India found themselves in trouble at 48-3 after another disappointing performance from teenage prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old, who has attracted significant attention since becoming the youngest male player to represent India in international cricket, managed just 15 runs before being dismissed.
With the top order faltering, Iyer attempted to stabilize the innings with a determined knock. The Indian skipper produced a fighting 49-ball 68, striking four boundaries and five sixes to anchor the innings. His efforts helped India recover from their poor start and post a competitive total of 158-7 from their allotted 20 overs.
England’s bowling attack once again demonstrated its effectiveness, with pace bowlers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue leading the charge. The pair shared four wickets between them and consistently applied pressure on the Indian batters, preventing any major partnerships from developing.
Despite India’s recovery, the total proved to be far from sufficient against an England batting lineup brimming with confidence.
England’s chase got off to a minor setback when former captain Jos Buttler was dismissed early, caught behind with the score at 13-1. However, that was the only moment of celebration for India as Phil Salt and captain Harry Brook produced a sensational partnership that completely dominated the remainder of the contest.
Brook delivered one of the finest innings of the series, remaining unbeaten on 79 from just 35 deliveries. His explosive knock included eight fours and four towering sixes, as he dismantled the Indian bowling attack with a mixture of elegant stroke play and raw power.
At the other end, opener Phil Salt provided perfect support with an unbeaten 59 off 42 balls, striking the ball cleanly and ensuring there was no opportunity for India to mount a comeback.
The duo shared an unbroken partnership that propelled England to victory with remarkable ease, reaching the target with 37 balls to spare and underlining the gulf between the two teams throughout the series.
The result continues what has been a nightmare tour for India. Earlier in the series, England inflicted India’s heaviest-ever defeat in T20 internationals, dismissing them for just 76 runs in the third match and securing a crushing 125-run victory.
The second T20 had also ended in disappointment for India, with England claiming a four-wicket win despite the historic debut of Sooryavanshi, who became India’s youngest-ever men’s international player at the age of 15 years and 99 days. The teenager scored 14 runs from 10 balls in his debut match before managing only 13 runs in the following encounter.
While one match in the series was abandoned due to weather, England’s dominance in the completed games has been overwhelming, exposing several weaknesses in India’s batting and bowling departments.
For England, the series victory represents a significant milestone and a major confidence boost ahead of future international tournaments. Under Brook’s leadership, the team has displayed aggressive batting, disciplined bowling and remarkable consistency.
For India, however, the latest defeat is likely to trigger intense scrutiny and calls for reassessment as the team attempts to rediscover the form that made it world champion in the T20 format.
With one match still remaining in the series, India will now seek to avoid a humiliating whitewash and regain some momentum before turning its attention to upcoming international assignments.
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