England outclassed India by 56 runs in the fifth T20I of the five match series at West End. After being invited to bat first, Jos Buttler and Harry Brook put together a record-breaking 233-run partnership for the second wicket in just 103 balls. Their stand helped England post one of their highest T20I totals and lifted them to the top of the ICC T20I rankings, replacing the reigning world champions.
In reply, India lost wickets at regular intervals and managed 201/8 in 20 overs. Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma scored blazing half-centuries, but their efforts fell well short as India lost by 56 runs. Sam Curran was England's standout bowler with 3/36 in four overs, while Adil Rashid claimed two wickets. With this victory, England completed a 4-0 series sweep. The defeat capped a disappointing tour for India, who failed to win a single match in the four-match series.
Traffic chaos disrupts India's preparations
India's problems started before the match even began. The team needed just six miles to travel from its Southampton hotel to the Utilita Bowl. However, heavy traffic turned the journey into a 90-minute trip, delaying the toss by 45 minutes.
After finally reaching the ground, captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first. Although Iyer has now won seven tosses as India's captain, he is still searching for his first victory. England made full use of the conditions and attacked from the opening over.
Buttler returns to top form with stunning century
Jos Buttler answered his critics with a brilliant century after a long run of modest scores in T20 internationals. The England batter had not crossed 40 in his previous 18 T20I innings since last September. However, he produced one of his finest innings when England needed him most.
Buttler reached his fifty in 34 balls before exploding through the second half of his innings. He needed only 17 more deliveries to complete his hundred. He reached the milestone by smashing Axar Patel for a six over square leg. After raising his bat, Buttler gave a thumbs-up towards the England dressing room and looked to the sky in celebration.
He later accelerated further by hitting Prince Yadav for four consecutive boundaries before adding another towering six. India dropped Buttler on 101, and he punished the mistake by hitting two more sixes before finally getting out for 131.
Harry Brook continues his incredible run
Harry Brook once again showed why he has become one of England's most dangerous T20 batters. Batting at No. 3, Brook played fearless cricket from the beginning. He raced to his fastest T20I fifty in just 19 balls.
Brook dominated India's bowlers with clean hitting, especially through the off side. Five of his eight sixes sailed over deep extra cover and long-off. After scoring 85 from only 35 balls at the end of the 16th over, a century looked certain. However, India's fast bowlers produced accurate yorkers at the death to keep him unbeaten on 95. Brook has flourished since moving to No. 3. Across his last seven innings in the position, he has averaged 72.4 with a strike rate of 192.55.
England pile up huge total
England lost Phil Salt early but never lost momentum. Buttler and Brook completely dominated the Indian attack. They punished loose deliveries and kept the scoreboard moving throughout the innings.
England scored five overs worth 20 or more runs, leaving India with a massive target. Their total became England's third-highest score in T20 internationals.
India never threatens the chase
India fell behind the required run rate from the very beginning. Sanju Samson, who returned to the side after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, started brightly by hitting two sixes. However, he failed to build a big innings and chipped a catch to cover-point.
Ishan Kishan made 56, but he could not score quickly enough to keep India in the contest. Tilak Varma added a fighting 53, but his knock came too late to change the outcome.
Sam Curran wrapped up another comfortable victory for England as India never seriously challenged the target. India's best over produced only 16 runs, while England had already shown their dominance with several overs worth more than 20 runs.
India's fielding lets them down
India struggled badly in the field. The team dropped three catches and missed several chances throughout England's innings. Buttler received a life on 101, while Brook was also dropped on 91 by Ishan Kishan at deep square leg. Those missed opportunities allowed England's batters to add valuable extra runs.
England's bowling completes a dominant display
England backed up their outstanding batting with a disciplined bowling performance. Adil Rashid dismissed Kishan during his 150th T20I appearance, while the rest of the bowling attack controlled the scoring throughout the chase. India never built any meaningful partnerships and continued to lose wickets at regular intervals.