Bristol, 10 July (H.S.): England registered a commanding nine-wicket victory over India in the fourth T20 International on Thursday, riding on an unbeaten century partnership between Harry Brook and Phil Salt to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Chasing a target of 159, England reached 159/1 in just 13.5 overs. The victory also marked England's first bilateral series win over India in any format since 2019. For India, it was their sixth consecutive T20 defeat following their T20 World Cup triumph.

England's chase got off to a shaky start as Arshdeep Singh dismissed captain Jos Buttler in the third over. However, Harry Brook and Phil Salt ensured there were no further setbacks, dominating the Indian bowling attack with an outstanding unbeaten partnership for the second wicket.

Brook raced to his half-century in just 21 deliveries and remained unbeaten on 79 with a scintillating display of aggressive stroke play. Salt, after a cautious start, accelerated brilliantly to finish unbeaten on 59. Their match-winning stand guided England to a comfortable victory with more than six overs to spare.

Earlier, India elected to bat first after winning the toss and posted 158/7 in their allotted 20 overs. After early setbacks, Shreyas Iyer anchored the innings with a superb unbeaten 80 off 49 balls. He accelerated in the closing overs, taking on Adil Rashid with a series of attacking strokes, but received little support from the other end.

For England, Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue claimed two wickets each. Archer once again dismissed Vaibhav Suryavanshi with a short-pitched delivery, while Tongue removed Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma.

Brief Scores

India: 158/7 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 80*; Jofra Archer 2/20, Josh Tongue 2/36)

England: 159/1 in 13.5 overs (Harry Brook 79*, Phil Salt 59*; Arshdeep Singh 1/41)

Result: England won by nine wickets and secured an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar