Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue combined for seven wickets as England thrashed India by 125 runs in the third T20I at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, handing the visitors their heaviest defeat in the format’s history. Chasing 202, India folded for just 76 in 11.4 overs, their second-lowest T20I total, as England took a 2-0 series lead.
Phil Salt anchored England’s innings with a 44-ball 70, while Sam Curran remained unbeaten on 41 off 24. The pair added 47 runs for the sixth wicket after England slipped to 154 for 5. Jos Buttler made 36 off 21 balls, his best score in eleven T20I innings, before Prince Yadav pulled things back with figures of 2 for 32 on his second international appearance.
India’s chase never got going. Shreyas Iyer won the toss and chose to field, but the move backfired. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma struck three sixes in the first nine balls, but both fell inside the powerplay to Archer and Tongue. India slipped to 52 for 5 inside seven overs and never recovered, with no batter passing 13.
Tongue picks up career-best figures
Josh Tongue finished with 4 for 28, his best T20I return, on a home outing at Trent Bridge. He removed Abhishek Sharma with a top-edge to point for his maiden international wicket, then came back to dismiss Shivam Dube and Harshit Rana as India’s order collapsed. Tom Banton’s sharp catch at backward point ended Harshit’s innings and closed out Tongue’s spell.
Archer, bowling close to 90mph, took 3 for 29 and was named Player of the Match. He removed Sooryavanshi, Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer inside three overs, unsettling India’s top order with the short ball. Adil Rashid added two late wickets as the innings folded inside 12 overs.
Salt’s slow start turns into a match-defining knock
Salt was slow to begin, reaching 17 off 19 balls before accelerating. His half-century came off 36 balls, his joint-second slowest in T20Is, before he found the boundary more freely against India’s spinners. He hit three sixes, including one off Axar Patel, before falling to a top edge off the same bowler in the 17th over.
England posted 201 for 7, with late hitting from Will Jacks and Archer pushing the total past 200. India’s attack conceded 10.05 runs an over.
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India face pressure ahead of the remaining matches
India, two-time defending T20 World Cup champions, have now lost two matches in a row and must win both remaining games to avoid a series defeat. India is trailing 2-0 with two matches left after the first T20I was abandoned without a result.
The result also ended a run of 16 straight bilateral T20I series without a loss for India. The fourth T20I follows as India look to respond to their heaviest defeat in the format.
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