England crushed India by nine wickets in the fourth T20I of the five match series in Bristol. After being decided to bat first, India managed to post 158/7 in their 20 overs. Shreyas Iyer scored a blazing unbeaten 80 off 49 balls. Jofra Archer (2/20 in four overs) was the pick of England's bowlers, while Josh Tongue also claimed two wickets.
In reply, Phil Salt and Harry Brook chased down the target with 43 balls to spare. Salt finished the chase by knocking Arshdeep Singh to point before jogging through for the winning run. He shared an unbeaten 146-run partnership for the second wicket with captain Harry Brook, with the pair taking just 70 balls to complete the stand. With the victory, England took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.England's Bowling Delivers Again
England's fast bowlers once again exposed India's batting with a steady diet of short-pitched bowling. For the third straight match, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi started aggressively with two early boundaries but failed to convert his start into a big score.
Ishan Kishan also fell early after attempting another cross-batted shot against the short ball. Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube never looked settled. Both mistimed their shots against spin, with Dube falling to another excellent catch by Tom Banton at long-on. Banton continued his impressive fielding display throughout the series.
On a pitch offering uneven bounce, Tilak Varma and Washington Sundar also failed to deal with England's slower-ball bouncers and were dismissed trying to attack. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue shared four wickets between them and consistently troubled India's batters with their pace.
Sam Curran made excellent use of the surface. He conceded only 24 runs from his four overs while keeping the pressure on throughout his spell. Will Jacks also impressed with the ball, returning figures of 1 for 28 after completing his full quota of overs for the first time in a home T20 International.
Iyer Fights Alone for India
Despite another disappointing batting display, Shreyas Iyer continued to shine. He has now scored two half-centuries in the series, while the rest of India's batting line-up has managed only one fifty combined. Iyer arrived at the crease early once again and immediately looked positive, flicking his second delivery for four. He later produced a stunning upper-cut for six against Archer, taking advantage of the shorter straight boundaries.
He was the only Indian batter who consistently looked comfortable against England's attack. Iyer also dominated Adil Rashid, scoring 44 of the spinner's 49 runs conceded. During Rashid's final over, he produced an outstanding sequence of six, four and six. The boundary came from a thick outside edge, but both sixes showed Iyer's confidence as he danced down the pitch and launched Rashid straight back over his head. His efforts lifted India to 150 for 5 after 18 overs, but the innings lost momentum in the closing stages.
England's bowlers executed their yorkers and slower deliveries perfectly, restricting India to just eight runs across the final two overs. Archer added another moment of brilliance by using his foot to deflect the ball onto the stumps, running out Axar Patel off the final delivery of the innings. Iyer received almost no support from the other batters. He struck four fours and five sixes, while the rest of India's batting unit combined for only five fours and two sixes, highlighting England's complete dominance throughout another one-sided contest.
England Continue Their Brilliant Run Under Brook
England's rise under Harry Brook has been remarkable. Since he became captain last year, England have won 19 of their 22 completed T20 Internationals.
After narrowly winning the opening match in Manchester, England have completely controlled the next two games. Their experienced squad has executed simple but effective plans that have left India struggling throughout the series.
Although this series cannot match the importance of the T20 World Cup semi-final earlier this year, England have earned some revenge after falling short while chasing 254 against India in that tournament.
Meanwhile, India suffered an unwanted record. This was the first time their men's team had lost five consecutive T20 Internationals. The disappointing run has increased pressure on new captain Shreyas Iyer, who has been in charge for less than two weeks. "This is the transition phase and we will be making a lot of mistakes," he said. "Again, it was a disappointing one."
Salt and Brook Tear Apart India's Bowling
England's chase did not begin perfectly. Phil Salt played out his second consecutive maiden over to start an innings, although England collected four leg byes after Arshdeep Singh drifted onto the pads.
Arshdeep struck in his next over by dismissing Jos Buttler, who edged behind after hitting a straight six. However, Harry Brook immediately shifted the momentum by scooping the left-arm pacer for six. Arshdeep did not bowl another over until the match was effectively over.
Salt struggled early, taking 10 balls to score his first run. Once he settled, he attacked aggressively. He raced from 0 off 9 balls to 26 from just 19 deliveries, smashing Prince Yadav and Prasidh Krishna for three boundaries in an over.
Prince briefly celebrated after knocking over Salt's stumps with a perfect yorker. However, the previous delivery had been a no-ball, giving Salt a free hit. Another clever boundary from Brook helped England finish the powerplay strongly at 62 for 1.
Brook Takes Complete Control
India introduced Washington Sundar into the attack in an attempt to slow the scoring. Instead, Brook launched a stunning counterattack. He struck four, six, four and four from four successive deliveries, bringing the required run rate down to almost a run a ball.
Brook soon reached his half-century from only 21 deliveries after smashing Axar Patel straight back over his head for six. Salt followed with his own fifty from 34 balls, clipping Prasidh Krishna for four. From there, the pair never allowed India back into the contest as they comfortably completed the chase.