England crush India by nine wickets to seal first T20 series win

Chase dominated by Brook and Salt

England's pursuit of 159 was a display of ruthless hitting. After Jos Buttler fell cheaply for eight, caught off Arshdeep Singh, captain Harry Brook and Phil Salt took charge. Brook launched his second ball for six and never looked back, racing to fifty off 21 deliveries with a mighty straight six off Axar Patel. Salt, who was scoreless after nine balls, accelerated after India gifted him free hits from no-balls in the fourth and fifth overs, reaching his half-century off 34 balls. Their unbroken stand of 146 (the BBC recorded 144) carried England to 159/1 in just 13.5 overs, sealing victory by nine wickets with 37 balls remaining. Brook finished 79 not out off 35, Salt 59 not out off 42.

India's batting frailty

India's innings, after choosing to bat, mirrored the struggles of the previous two games. The 15-year-old opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the first to go, caught at deep square leg off Jofra Archer for 15. Wickets fell regularly as batters failed to rotate strike or find boundaries, with only Shivam Dube (22 off 23) providing brief support to captain Shreyas Iyer. The innings ended on 158/7, a total that was well below par on a good batting surface. Archer capped a superb spell (2-20) by kicking the ball onto the stumps from his follow-through to run out Axar Patel off the final delivery.

Iyer's lone resistance

Shreyas Iyer, under scrutiny after India's losing streak that started with two defeats to Ireland, played a captain's knock. Coming in at number four, he hit an unbeaten 80 from 49 balls, striking eight fours and two sixes. However, he lacked support, with the next highest score being Dube's 22. After the match, Iyer acknowledged the transitional phase his team is in, saying,

This is the transition phase and we will be making a lot of mistakes. Again, it was a disappointing one.

What it means for the series

The result gives England an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, following a washout in the first game and dominant wins in the second and third. It is the first time England have won a T20 series against India, and if they complete a clean sweep in Southampton on Saturday, they will overtake India to become the number one ranked T20 side. Brook said,

It would be pretty cool for us to be world number one, to be honest. That is definitely an aim.

India will look to avoid their first winless five-match T20 series.

Buttler's prolonged slump

Jos Buttler's form remains a concern for England. The former captain, who was dismissed for eight, has now gone 18 T20I innings without a half-century, dating back to last September. Over that stretch he has averaged just 15.16.