England continued their dominance over India by securing a comprehensive nine-wicket victory in the fourth T20I at Bristol, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series with one game still to play. After the series opener was washed out due to rain, the hosts have won three consecutive matches to outclass the reigning T20 World Cup champions. India’s batting once again failed to fire collectively, while England chased down a target of 159 in just 13.5 overs, leaving the visitors searching for answers ahead of the series finale.
Following the defeat, former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik analysed the visitors’ batting struggles and highlighted several areas of concern, questioning the team’s ability to adapt to challenging conditions.
Dinesh Karthik highlights India’s batting flaws after loss in Bristol
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Karthik pointed to India’s inability to handle extra bounce as one of the biggest reasons behind their repeated failures in the series. He also discussed the struggles of sev-0. Vaibhav was not able to score against him. Ishan Kishan very circumspect for the second time in two games, the pull shot not being his friend,” Karthik said.eral top-order batters, including youngster Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma.
“I think India have a problem adapting to a little bit of extra bounce. Suryavanshi getting out to his teammate from Rajasthan Royals, Jofra Archer. Right now, Archer leads this battle 2-0. Vaibhav was not able to score against him. Ishan Kishan very circumspect for the second time in two games, the pull shot not being his friend,” Karthik said.
The former India cricketer also questioned the lack of confidence in the middle order, noting that the current batting unit looks far removed from the aggressive side that dominated opponents during the T20 World Cup-winning campaign.
“And then Abhishek Sharma outside the power play on a pitch where he could have dominated spinners, got out early in not committing to a pull shot. Now the other problem that India are facing is Tilak Varma. He’s not getting scores that he would ideally like, even though he did well for India A, led the team, won the series, and did well in ODI cricket. The middle order looks wobbly, not confident, and it is definitely not the Indian team that we saw during the World Cup or before it in bilaterals, where they took down opponents and actually imposed a lot of fear. Where is that gone?” he added.
Karthik’s assessment came after another disappointing batting display from India. While captain Shreyas Iyer rescued the innings with an unbeaten 80 off 49 balls, the rest of the batting lineup struggled to build meaningful partnerships, resulting in a below-par total of 158/7.
England eye whitewash as India seek consolation win
With the series already decided, England will now shift their focus to completing a clean sweep in the fifth and final T20I. Harry Brook‘s side has outplayed India in every department since the rain-hit opener, producing clinical performances with both bat and ball to underline their superiority throughout the series. India, meanwhile, will be desperate to end the tour’s T20I leg on a positive note by avoiding a whitewash. The final match will be played in Southampton on July 11, offering Iyer and his men one last opportunity to restore some confidence before attention turns to the 50-over format.
Following the conclusion of the T20I series, the two teams will meet again in a three-match ODI series, which gets underway on July 14 in Birmingham. India will hope a change in format helps them reset after a difficult T20I campaign, while England will look to carry their winning momentum into the ODIs.
