England crushed India by 56 runs at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton on Saturday to finalize a brutal 4-0 series sweep. The visitors never really stood a chance after conceding an overwhelming 257 runs in the first innings.
The chaos actually started before the first ball. The Indian squad got stuck in local traffic outside the stadium. That caused a 45-minute delay. When they finally arrived on the pitch, captain Shreyas Iyer won the toss and decided to bowl first to take advantage of the windy conditions. It was the wrong call.
Prasidh Krishna gave India a brief moment of hope when he dismissed Phil Salt in the second over. But then Jos Buttler and Harry Brook completely dismantled the bowling attack. Buttler hammered an unbeaten 131 off just 64 deliveries. He hit 12 fours and eight sixes. Brook was just as relentless, staying unbeaten on 95 off 45 balls without breaking a sweat.
Together, they put up 233 runs off 102 balls. That stands as the highest T20I partnership for any wicket in the history of the sport.
India desperately tried to shake things up before the match to avoid the whitewash. The coaching staff brought veteran wicketkeeper Sanju Samson and Suryansh Shedge into the lineup, according to a pre-match report by Cric-Mate. They benched teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Washington Sundar to make room.
The new bowling configuration fell apart almost immediately. Axar Patel surrendered 63 runs in his four overs. Prince Yadav gave up another 60 to the English top order.
Chasing 258 is nearly impossible. India managed a respectable 201 for 8, but the target was too far out of reach. Ishan Kishan led the team with a quick 56, while Tilak Varma added 53. The English bowlers simply strangled the middle order, confirming the 4-0 series sweep. Sam Curran took three wickets and Adil Rashid grabbed two to close out the victory.
Buttler walked away with Player of the Match honors. Brook secured the Player of the Series award. The defeat caps a rough stretch for Indian cricket fans who were recently treated to high-scoring domestic thrillers when the Gujarat Titans crush SRH earlier this year.