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‘Atrocious, awful’: Shreyas Iyer after India suffer biggest T20I defeat in abject surrender to England, remain winless

India's 125-run loss to England in the third match of the series is their biggest in T20 internationals. 

Updated on: Jul 8, 2026, 01:45:16 IST
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Second-lowest T20I total. Biggest defeat in T20 internationals. Those were a couple of lows which India hit as they crashed and burned against England in the third T20I at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. The batting line-up simply imploded as India were bowled out for 76, narrowly avoiding their lowest-ever T20I total (74). England then completed a 125-run rout – India's biggest defeat in the format – to take a 2-0 lead in the series. India can no longer win the series. At best, they can claim the remaining two matches to salvage some pride, although on current form, even that looks a difficult task.

Shreyas Iyer is running out of answers (Reuters)
Shreyas Iyer is running out of answers (Reuters)

With this, India remain winless on their UK tour as the start to Shreyas Iyer's tenure as T20I captain goes from bad to worse. The skipper admitted India were "atrocious" and said individuals needed to take responsibility after the heavy defeat on Tuesday. After conceding 200 on a belter of a surface, India's batters were at sixes and sevens against the pace-bowling duo of Josh Tongue and Jofra Archer, who combined to claim seven wickets.

“It was atrocious. Losing by such a big margin isn't acceptable. First things first, we have to accept this loss and go back to the drawing board. It wasn't a 200- wicket. Losing four in the Powerplay didn't create momentum; we lost it there. You can plan a lot, once you come into the ground, you have to adapt, figure out lengths. Hard lengths helped, we didn't execute,” Iyer said after the match.

How the Indian batting capitulated

India's innings was over almost as quickly as a highlights package. After Phil Salt's 70 and Sam Curran's unbeaten 41 powered England past 200, taking some of the sheen off Prince Yadav's impressive show (2/30), the stage was set for the Indian batters to at least mount a challenge. Instead, the innings ended with a whimper. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue's pace proved too much for openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhishek Sharma, and India soon slumped to 41/4. The lack of partnerships meant the wickets tumbled, with only four batters reaching double figures. In the end, India just about avoided their lowest-ever T20I total of 74 against Australia in 2008, but Adil Rashid's dismissal of Varun Chakaravarthy confirmed their second-lowest total in T20 internationals.

“When you're chasing, you have to set patterns and our execution was off. Great opportunity to come back strong. We've played awful cricket but lots to learn as well. Players have to figure out ways to create impact. Every individual has to work on creating impact and taking responsibility,” added Iyer.

  • Aditya Bhattacharya
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Aditya Bhattacharya

    Aditya Bhattacharya is the Sports Editor at Hindustan Times Digital, with close to 15 years of experience in sports journalism. Over the course of his career, he has worked with leading media organisations including Cricbuzz, The Times of India, Network18 and Zee. Primarily a cricket writer, Aditya has covered several marquee events, including the 2016 ICC World T20, the 2019 ICC World Cup in England and the 2023 World Cup in India. His reporting portfolio also includes international cricket across England, South Africa and New Zealand, along with forays into tennis, including coverage of the Australian Open. He has interviewed several prominent athletes across sports. Aditya began his career with a brief stint at CricketNext before getting his first major break at Cricbuzz, where he was part of the Times Network’s startup venture GoCricket, which later merged with Cricbuzz. After nearly 18 months there, he moved to The Times of India, covering his first World Cup assignment and reporting first-hand on landmark moments such as Virat Kohli’s iconic innings against Australia in Mohali. During his three-year tenure, he played a key role in both reporting and desk operations and was recognised as TOI Employee of the Quarter in 2016. He later joined Zee, where he covered the 2019 World Cup across five venues in England—an assignment he considers a career highlight. At Hindustan Times, Aditya’s leadership came to the fore as he was promoted to lead the sports team within 18 months. Under his stewardship, the section has delivered extensive coverage of global sporting events, including the IPL, Olympics, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. In 2024, he was named HT DigiStar of the Year. Aditya continues to adapt to the evolving digital publishing landscape, with a sharp focus on search and audience engagement. Outside work, he occasionally plays the guitar and remains an avid gamer.Read More

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