Shreyas Iyer: India captain’s winless streak reaches seven as England seals dominant 4-0 T20I series sweep. Iyer’s wait for a maiden victory 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 loss extended Shreyas Iyer’s winless run to seven consecutive T20Is as captain, placing him on an unwanted list of skippers from Full Member nations—joining Zimbabwe’s Brendan Taylor, Elton Chigumbura, and Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera—who failed to win any of their first seven matches in charge.
England completed a dominant 4-0 series sweep after posting a daunting 257 for 3, powered by Jos Buttler’s stunning 131 from 64 balls and Harry Brook’s unbeaten 95 off 45 deliveries. The pair put together 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 struck 12 fours and eight sixes to register the highest score of his T20I career, while Brook fell just five runs short of a century.
India’s bowlers struggled throughout the innings. Axar Patel leaked 63 runs in four overs, Prince Yadav conceded 60 from his spell, and debutant Suryansh Shedge came under heavy attack. Chasing 258, India produced their best batting display of the UK T20I leg but never threatened the target. Ishan Kishan made 56 from 35 balls and Tilak Varma hit 53 off just 25 deliveries, but the visitors finished on 201 for 8.
The defeat capped a disappointing tour for India, which ended their 1,601-day reign at the top of the ICC men’s T20I team rankings. For Shreyas Iyer, the result added another unwanted chapter to his captaincy stint, with his search for a first T20I victory now stretching to seven matches. As the team returns to the drawing board, Iyer will aim to break this winless streak in upcoming series.