​India were “atrocious” again, to borrow the captain Shreyas Iyer’s summary, but that should not obscure the fact that England boast a top-class T20 side. They have won 19 of their past 22 internationals, including the three completed in this series, and this match ended in a massive nine-wicket victory with 37 balls to spare. India managed to double their previous 76 in the last game, yet they have now lost a T20 series on both sides of the Irish Sea. At their current rate, they would finish last in a triangular tournament featuring England and Ireland.
The display was so tame, even timid, that it raises questions about whether the Indian Premier League—while a spectacular showcase as the sport’s premier carnival—reflects a high standard of batting, or if batsmen in the IPL are being spoon-fed as never before. The league’s short boundaries encourage top-edges for six, flat tracks, and teams of 12 a side allowing rests between innings, all to feed mass audiences with totals over 220 bristling with maximums. Bristol’s ground features short straight boundaries and long square ones, so England did not need to abandon their Trent Bridge game plan of short-pitched fast bowling. Yet India offered no credible counter. The tourists’ top three, including the prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, demonstrated their aversion to such bowling, with five of India’s wickets coming from short balls. Only India’s captain Iyer showed a willingness to run hard between the wickets, rewarded when he clattered Adil Rashid’s last over for six, four, six. The rest of his teammates appeared subdued, either dull or perhaps drained after the IPL season and its heavy travel schedule.
Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue opened England’s powerplay with pace and verve, taking early wickets to leave India two down for 44 at the end of the first six overs—an improvement on the five down at Trent Bridge, but not a turning point in itself. Harry Brook, with astute efficiency, then threaded in an over from Will Jacks and another from Sam Curran, bringing a sharp variety to the early overs. Jacks has benefited from India’s left-handers in the top order, and he is steadily becoming an indispensable member of England’s squad. He brings the same fearless approach to white-ball bowling that he showed with the bat in the Ashes, varying his pace and delivering a longer-arm action that gives the ball extra revolutions—more than many a traditional English finger-spinner. Moeen Ali’s successor is fully established.
England’s death bowling was characterised by discipline: Archer and Curran resemble well-drilled enforcers, allowing nothing to slip through. In the final two overs of India’s innings, even with their captain’s comparatively strong finish, no boundary was registered. England’s fielding was sharp throughout, complementing a robust bowling display. This was a commanding performance from England, underscored by meticulous planning and execution across the innings, while India’s approach looked out of step and insufficient to trouble a side that is clearly operating at or near its peak. The result leaves England well-placed for the remainder of the series, while India must reassess their batting strategy and find solutions to counter England’s well-drilled, multi-faceted attack.