England Humiliate India 4-0, Buttler Century Powers 56-Run Win as Men in Blue Slip to No. 2
England completed a dominant 4-0 whitewash of India in the five-match T20 International series after registering a comprehensive 56-run victory in the fifth and final match at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, extending India’s losing streak to seven consecutive T20Is and replacing the visitors at the top of the ICC T20I rankings. The opening match of the series had ended without a result due to rain.
The match, delayed by 30 minutes after India’s team bus was caught in traffic en route to the stadium, turned into another exhibition of England’s batting firepower. Opting to bat, the hosts amassed a daunting 257/3 in 20 overs, powered by a breathtaking 131 off 64 balls by Jos Buttler and an unbeaten 95 off 47 deliveries by captain Harry Brook. The pair added a record 233 runs for the second wicket, England’s highest partnership for any wicket in T20 Internationals. Buttler’s innings was studded with 13 fours and eight sixes, while Brook struck eight boundaries and four maximums, falling just five runs short of a century.
India’s bowling attack endured another torrid outing, with Axar Patel conceding 63 runs in his four overs, the most expensive spell of his T20 career, as England’s batters dominated throughout the innings.
Chasing a mammoth 258, India made an aggressive start through Ishan Kishan, who blasted 56 off 27 balls, before Tilak Varma contributed a fighting 53. However, the visitors failed to sustain the momentum as wickets fell at regular intervals, eventually finishing on 201/8, handing England a convincing 56-run victory. Spinner Adil Rashid (2/24) and Sam Curran (3/36) led England’s disciplined bowling effort to cap a flawless campaign.
The series marked another disappointing chapter for India, who had already endured a 2-0 series defeat to Ireland before arriving in England. The Men in Blue failed to win a single completed match on the tour, raising serious concerns over their batting depth, bowling execution and consistency ahead of upcoming international assignments.
For England, the emphatic triumph under Harry Brook underlined their growing dominance in the shortest format, with Buttler’s career-best century and the team’s all-round display helping them reclaim the No. 1 position in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings.
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