England ruthlessly crushed India by 125 runs in the third T20I at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, taking a 2-0 lead in the opening five overs after being eroded.The defeat was one that India will soon want to forget. Chasing 202, the visitors were bundled out for just 76 in 11.4 overs, registering their biggest defeat by runs in men’s T20I history and their second lowest total. For Shreyas Iyer, the loss also extended the wait for his breakthrough as India’s full-time T20I captain.
Salt, Curran laid the foundation
Asked to bat first, England prevailed as they made a quiet start to post 201/7, thanks in large part to Philip Salt’s masterful 70 from 44 deliveries.India’s new bowling attack, led by Arshdeep Singh, started with discipline, but Jos Buttler converted and finished with 32. Debutant Prince Yadav was quick to react, dismissing Buttler with a pinpoint yorker on his first delivery before sending skipper Harry Brook in short order.Harshit Rana kept India in the contest by dismissing Jacob Bethell and Tom Banton in quick succession, but Salt continued to prop up the innings with controlled violence. The opener brought up a century before Axar Patel completed his stay.Sam Curran finished with an unbeaten 41 off 24 balls, ensuring England passed the 200-run mark despite India’s late defeat. Prince Yadav (2/30) impressed in his performance, while Harshit Rana (2/40) also claimed two wickets.
Archer, Tongue passes through India
India’s chase was unsuccessful as England’s pace attack disrupted the batting order. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was briefly entertained by a big six but was caught behind by Jofra Archer for 13. Ishan Kishan followed soon after, tying Josh Tongue to Jacob Bethell, before Archer defeated the opposition by dismissing captain Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel.India’s innings looked very quick as they lost their first five wickets inside six overs for the first time in T20I history. The aliens found themselves having trouble against Archer’s speed and Tongue’s relentless accuracy.Will Jacks joined the party and stumped Tilak Varma, while Lilime removed Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana to finish with excellent figures of 4/28. Archer returned on 3/29, and Adil Rashid wrapped up the innings with the bowling of Varun Chakravarthy to seal a big win.
Indian tourism to the UK is growing
The defeat continued India’s miserable run on the tour. Having already been whitewashed 2-0 by Ireland before arriving in England, Iyer’s men have not registered a win since lifting the T20 World Cup. Tactical errors, poor batting and a failure to apply pressure have all contributed to a worrying situation.With two matches to play, England have already secured the series, while India will now look to save some pride and avoid a complete clean sheet.
Summary Scores
England: 201/7 in 20 overs (Philip Salt 70, Sam Curran 41*; Prince Yadav 2/30, Harshit Rana 2/40)India: 76 all out in 11.4 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 13; Josh Tongue 4/28, Jofra Archer 3/29)Results: England won by 125 runs.List: England lead the five-match series 2-0 (the first T20I was abandoned due to rain).