Buttler Smashes Century with Eight Sixes, Brook Blasts Unbeaten 95; India and England to Meet Next in ODI Series
Southampton: England wicketkeeper Jos Buttler (131 off 64 balls, 8 sixes, 12 fours) and captain Harry Brook (95* off 45 balls, 8 sixes, 4 fours) shared a record 233-run partnership for the second wicket to power England to a commanding victory over India in the fifth and final T20I on Saturday. India lost the match to complete a 0-4 series whitewash and also surrendered the No.1 spot in the ICC T20 rankings.
After being put in to bat, England piled up 257/3 in their 20 overs, setting India a daunting target of 258. India could only manage 201/8, going down by 56 runs.
Even before the fifth match, it had been confirmed that another defeat would cost India their World No.1 T20 ranking and hand the top spot to England. That is exactly what happened. Following the 0-4 series defeat, India, led by Shreyas Iyer, lost the No.1 ranking that the team had held for a long period under Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership.
England’s total of 257/3 was built on a dominant batting display. Among the Indian bowlers, Shivam Dube claimed two wickets for 22 runs, while Arshdeep Singh picked up one wicket for 38 runs. Spinner Axar Patel conceded 63 runs without taking a wicket, while pacer Prince Yadav also went wicketless after giving away 60 runs.
Samson Replaces Vaibhav but Fails Again
Chasing a massive 258-run target, India came under pressure early, losing their first two wickets for just 55 runs. Abhishek Sharma managed only three runs before falling to Jofra Archer. Sanju Samson, who replaced Vaibhav Suryavanshi in the playing XI, scored a brisk 27 off 14 balls with two sixes and three fours before being dismissed by Sam Curran. However, he once again failed to convert his start into a big innings.
In the end, India’s top order failed to deliver yet again. Ishan Kishan scored 56 before falling to Adil Rashid, while captain Shreyas Iyer made 28 before being dismissed by Liam Dawson.
On Tuesday, both the teams will begin an ODI series of three matches.
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