IND vs ENG: India slump to their biggest T20I defeat as England script 125-run triumph to lead series 2-0

England handed India their biggest-ever defeat in T20I history after clinching a colossal 125-run in the third match at the Nottingham's Trent Bridge on July 7. England posted a big total of 201/7 riding on Phil Salt's 44-ball 70. In reply, India suffered a massive batting collapse and were folded for mere 76, thanks to Josh Tongue's fiery four-fer. With this win, England took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.

India record their worst-ever T20I loss with 125-run hammering against England 

India’s struggles deepened as Shreyas Iyer’s winless captaincy streak extended to five matches, exposing a team that appears increasingly fragmented under Gautam Gambhir’s coaching regime. The game was effectively dead and buried within the first five overs of the chase, as a catastrophic top-order collapse left the visitors reeling at a dismal 52 for 5. It stood out as one of the national team's most disappointing batting displays in recent memory, heavily marred by reckless shot selection and a distinct lack of competitive grit.

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India's catastrophic batting collapse

With the outcome virtually decided so early on, the remainder of the innings felt like a tedious formality. Team management raised plenty of eyebrows with a bizarre tactical decision, promoting Harshit Rana, a highly unpredictable lower-order hitter—to the number seven spot during the Powerplay, leaving the more accomplished Shivam Dube waiting in the dugout.

Earlier in the capitulation, teenage opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showed brief flashes of aggression by launching both Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue for sixes, but his explosive cameo ended after just five balls. Archer got his revenge by targeting the youngster with a sharp, well-directed bouncer to the right shoulder, forcing an awkward hook shot that nestled safely into Jos Buttler’s gloves.

Tongue, Archer break India's back

The rest of the specialist batsmen fell in equally careless fashion. Before the opener's exit, Abhishek Sharma was caught in the deep extra-cover region, falling victim to a dismissive shot choice that has frequently brought about his undoing. Ishan Kishan managed to dispatch one ball over the ropes for a maximum but threw his wicket away immediately after. Skipper Iyer handed a simple catch to the lone fielder behind square leg off Archer's bowling, while Axar Patel, completely misjudging the length in anticipation of a short ball, edged a fuller delivery straight to the wicketkeeper. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, dismantled the opposition with an exhibition of hostile, high-velocity bowling during the Powerplay. Archer ripped through the order to claim 3 for 29 in his three overs, while Tongue was virtually unplayable, tearing the line-up apart with exceptional figures of 4 for 28 across his four overs.

The visitors initially put England under early pressure when Arshdeep Singh opened with an excellent maiden over to Salt, a sequence that also saw India burn a DRS review. While Salt initially looked out of rhythm, his opening partner Jos Buttler quickly hit his stride, punishing Rana and Axar with a flurry of boundaries. However, Prince Yadav made an instant impact with his very first delivery, cleaning up the experienced England skipper with a perfectly executed yorker.

The young Indian pacer continued his impressive spell by accounting for Harry Brook. After being struck for a lofted boundary over the covers, the bowler got his revenge when Brook mistimed a pull shot straight to Abhishek Sharma, who judged the catch beautifully on the deep mid-wicket boundary. Following Brook's dismissal, Salt finally found his groove, launching Chakravarthy for a six to kickstart his innings.

Salt then teamed up with Jacob Bethell to take the attack to Axar Patel, with the duo hammering 40 runs in a brisk 3.3-over partnership. The momentum swung back to India briefly when Harshit Rana removed both Bethell and Tom Banton on consecutive deliveries. Despite a sluggish Powerplay, Salt pushed through to cross his half-century off 36 balls, a relatively measured pace by his usual explosive standards.

Once settled, the England opener shifted gears, targetting Arshdeep with a massive pick-up pull over deep square leg followed by a crisp flick to the boundary. His 74-minute stay at the crease, which included seven boundaries and three sixes, was finally halted by Axar just as he looked to launch a final assault. Nevertheless, Sam Curran picked up the mantle, utilizing his power to smash an unbeaten 41 off 24 balls against Rana and Axar. Curran's late-innings surge ensured England capitalised on a strong finish, plundering 89 runs from the final eight overs to comfortably cross the 200-run threshold.