Team India went down to England by nine wickets at County Ground in Bristol on Thursday, July 9 in the fourth T20I of the five-match series. With the thumping victory, the Englishmen clinched the series 3-0.
Batting first after winning the toss in the do-or-die clash, the Men in Blue put up 158-7 on the board. Skipper Shreyas Iyer top-scored with an unbeaten 80 off 49 balls. For England, pacers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue again shone with two wickets each. In the chase, England cruised home in 13.5 overs as Harry Brook slammed 79* off 35, while Phil Salt contributed 59* off 42.
Following the defeat, India suffered their second successive series loss in T20Is. Before the England tour, they went down 0-2 in Ireland as well.
One of the key reasons behind India's defeat in Ireland as well as England has been their batters' ineptness with regard to handling conditions as well as tackling the challenges offered by opposition bowlers. This is rather shocking considering that we are talking about the side that has players who have been a big part of India's T20 World Cup 2026 triumph.
In Ireland, there was enough help in the surface for bowlers. Team India's batters, used to flat tracks in the IPL and in home conditions, consistently failed to clear the boundaries. Most of their aerial strokes landed in the hands of Ireland's fielders. The lack of adaptability of India's batters was completely exposed in the two T20Is as Ireland ended up creating history.
Something similar has transpired in England as well. Barring skipper Shreyas, Archer and Tongue have troubled all the other Indian batters with their speed, bounce and variation in pace. India's star batters have had no answers at all to the questions posed by England's fast bowlers in the ongoing T20I series. Their woes were characterized by their pathetic showing in Trent Bridge - 76 all out.
Not just batting, India's bowling attack was also well below par in Ireland and they have carried the poor form into the England series as well. The Men in Blue conceded 182 runs in the first T20I against Ireland in Belfast - a total which was well above par for the conditions. Ireland's batters looked at total ease against a clueless bowling attack.
In the ongoing T20I series against England as well, Team India's bowlers have been nowhere close to their best. In Manchester, England chased down a competitive target of 192 in 19 overs. In Nottingham, India bowled first and conceded over 200 runs, while in Bristol England gunned down a total of 158 in just 13.5 overs as India's bowlers seemed to be going through the motions.
It's a fact that India have been without star bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya in Ireland and England. However, the likes of Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Varun Chakaravarthy have clearly failed to live up to expectations even as Harshit Rana has blown hot and cold. The inexperienced Prince Yadav has been the only one who has made a genuine impact.
An utter lack of clarity in team selection has also been responsible for Team India's woes in Ireland and England. India picked pacer Prasidh Krishna even though he has had his issues in the format in international cricket. Backing Ravi Bishnoi over Kuldeep Yadav has also backfired. Even though Kuldeep had a disappointing IPL 2026 campaign, he is a proven performer at the top level.
In the batting department, the team management's decision to drop Sanju Samson from the playing XI has also been baffling. In press conferences, all the Indian coaches threw the weight behind the Kerala cricketer, but when it came to backing him in the true sense, he was overlooked amid the Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Shreyas and Gautam Gambhir undoubtedly need to show better clarity in team selection.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news
Quick Links