Indian captain Shreyas Iyer (ANI Image)
Shreyas Iyer’s wait for a maiden victory continued as the India 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 loss extended Iyer’s winless run to seven consecutive T20Is as captain, putting him on an undesirable list of skippers from full member nations who have failed to win any of their first seven matches.
Only Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor, Zimbabwe’s Elton Chigumbura and Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera have previously experienced similar starts in their careers as T20I captain.
Captain winless in first seven T20Is (full member squads)
| captain | a 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 grueling 257 for 3, powered by a stunning 131 from Jos Buttler from 64 balls and Harry Brook’s unbeaten 95 off 45 deliveries. The pair combined for 233 runs for the second wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket in men’s T20I history, leaving India’s bowlers with no answers.
Buttler hit 12 fours and eight sixes to record the highest scores of his T20I career, while Brook fell just five runs short of a deserved century. India’s bowlers struggled throughout the innings. Axar Patel leaked 63 runs in his four overs, Prince Yadav conceded 60 from his spell and debutant Suryansh Chedge, who was brought into the side after Harshit Rana’s injury, was also badly battered. Chasing 258, India put up their best batting display in the UK leg of the T20I but never threatened the target. Ishan Kishan made 56 off 35 balls and Tilak Varma scored 53 off just 25 deliveries, but the visitors eventually finished on 201 for 8.
The defeat capped a disappointing tour for India who failed to win a single T20I in the series under Iyer’s captaincy. England’s victory also ended India’s 1,601-day reign at the top of the ICC Men’s T20I team rankings. For Iyer, the result added another unwanted chapter to the start of his captaincy, as his quest for a maiden T20I win has now extended to seven matches.
