England seal five-match series 3-0 after nine-wicket win in fourth T20I
Southampton: India will look to avoid a rare T20 International whitewash when they take on England in the fifth and final match here on Saturday after suffering a crushing nine-wicket defeat in the fourth game that handed the hosts an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
The opening match was washed out before England dominated the next three contests, exposing India’s frailties against pace and spin.
On Thursday, skipper Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 80 off 49 balls proved to be a lone bright spot as India managed only 158 for seven after being asked to bat. Jofra Archer (2/20) and Josh Tongue (2/36) struck early, while Adil Rashid and Sam Curran kept the visitors in check despite Iyer’s late flourish.
England made light work of the chase, racing to victory in just 13.5 overs. Harry Brook smashed an unbeaten 79 off 35 balls and Phil Salt remained unbeaten on 59 as the hosts overwhelmed India’s attack.
The defeat extended Iyer’s wait for a first win as T20I captain and marked India’s second successive bilateral series loss after the Ireland setback.
India’s problems have been compounded by injuries to Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana, while Ravi Bishnoi’s poor form has further weakened the bowling attack. The batting too has struggled, with youngster Vaibhav Sooryavanshi yet to cope with England’s hostile pace.
