Shreyas IyerThe wait for a first win as India’s T20I captain continued on Saturday after England handed the visitors a 56-run defeat in the fifth and final T20I at the Rose Bowl. The defeat extended Iyer’s winless run to seven consecutive T20Is as captain, putting him on an undesirable list of skippers from Full Member countries who failed to win any of their first seven matches in charge. Only Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura and Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera have endured similar starts to their T20I captaincy careers.
The captains are winless in their first seven T20Is (Full Member teams)
| Captain: | team: |
|---|---|
| Brendan Taylor | Zimbabwe: |
| Elton Chigumbura | Zimbabwe: |
| Thisara Perera | Sri Lanka |
| Shreyas Iyer | India: |
England completed a dominant 4-0 series sweep after posting a formidable 257 for 3, powered by: Jos ButtlerA staggering 131 off 64 balls and Harry Brook’s unbeaten 95 off 45 deliveries. The pair put on 233 runs for the second wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket in men’s T20I history, leaving the Indian bowlers with no answer. Buttler hit 12 fours and eight sixes to register the highest score of his T20I career, while Brook fell just five runs short of a well-deserved century. Indian bowlers struggled throughout the innings. Axar Patel leaked 63 runs in four overs, Prince Yadav conceded 60 from his spell and debutant Suryansh Shedge, who was brought into the side after Harshit Rana’s injury, also came under heavy attack. Chasing 258, India produced their best batting display in the UK T20I leg but never threatened the target. Ishan Kishan made 56 off 35 balls and: Tilak Varma hit 53 in just 25 deliveries, but the visitors eventually finished at 201 for 8. The loss ended a disappointing tour for India, who failed to win a single T20I in the series under Iyer’s leadership. England’s win also ended India’s 1,601-day reign at the top of the ICC men’s T20I rankings. For Iyer, the result added another unwanted chapter to the start of his captaincy, with his quest for a maiden T20I win now stretched to seven matches.