IND vs ENG, Fourth T20I Preview: How Shreyas Iyer’s India bounced back from 76-all out
Cricket, like life, has its ups and downs. There are good days and there are bad days and there’s not much you can do about it. At the top, you bask in the glory, receive awards, ride the wave, as they say. But when the trough hits, it hits you hard. Shreyas Iyer knows this very well.
The last 14 days have been the worst for the newly appointed Indian captain, who was elevated to the position after three very strong seasons in the format. But that rise went wrong, horribly. What was expected to be a smooth transition for the world champions suddenly became a battle for survival in the Wild West.
India vs. England 4th T20I match starts on Thursday 9th July at 10 PM IST. The match will be played at the County Ground in Bristol and will be telecast live on JioStar. Broadcast rights are with Sony Sports Network.
It is safe to say that this is the worst phase of Shreyas Iyer’s career since he was unceremoniously dropped from BCCI contracts at the start of 2024 for allegedly not focusing on domestic cricket.
Shreyas managed to deal with a potentially career-ending situation where the BCCI wanted to make an example of him. Shreyas’ fight was one to watch. An IPL title with KKR in 2024, a runner-up finish with Punjab Kings in 2025 and then a seven-match unbeaten run in IPL 2026 (though it quickly slipped away) propelled Shreyas to the Indian captaincy in a team where he hadn’t played in nearly two-and-a-half years.
And now, five matches into his captaincy, Shreyas was under threat again.
One might argue that I am jumping the gun. But am I? Five matches, four losses as India T20I captain. When was the last time an Indian captain failed to win a single match in his first five matches?
Never. Yes, you heard right…never.
Suryakumar Yadav, dropped from the Indian team he never lost a series after India’s T20 World Cup triumph under his leadership. In fact, Suryakumar has lost only eight of his 52 matches in the format.
Even Hardik Pandya, who was promoted to captain at the end of 2022 and captained India for a year before Rohit Sharma’s return, lost only five of his 16 matches.
Shreyas’ start is so bad that India’s pre-World Cup T20 vice-captain Shubman Gill has a better captaincy record in T20Is than him. Shubman has won four of the five matches in which he has captained India.
The seriousness of the matter is explained by the head coach of India Gautam Gambhir attended the post-match press conference halfway through the series. Usually his bragging is saved for the end of the tour.
INDIA 76-ALL-OUT
Shreyas Iyer’s bat should do the talking in Bristol (Photo Reuters)
Things are so bad with the current T20I squad that it’s hard to judge what to expect. This is essentially the same team, minus a few senior members. But at any point it’s hard to wrap your head around the fact that they’ve lost the series against Ireland and three games into the series against England they’re in a position where they can’t win a bilateral anymore.
It’s bleak for the world champions of the last two editions of the tournament.
In Ireland, India admitted they felt they could walk through and win two matches, which, it’s safe to say, didn’t happen.
Against England, India didn’t have much time to make up for this unpreparedness due to the short turnaround between series. And it seems that they have not been able to fully adapt to the conditions.
Fast bowler Jofra Archer fumbled cheekily in Indian pasta, saying that they are used to small boundaries and flat pitches and find it difficult to adapt in the UK. If that is the case, then it is worrying for the Indian T20I team.
The bright side is that you can’t really go below 76. Well, you can if you get India’s lowest T20I total of 74 in the next game, but that’s not likely to happen. Bristol is traditionally a high-scoring venue, which should bode well for the Indian team.
WHAT TOOK INDIA BACK
One of the main concerns raised by former cricketers during the recent losses is that India have been very picky with the changes in the playing XI. After the third T20I, former India captain Anil Kumble criticized the fact that the Indian team management was not giving Shreyas Iyer a balanced bowling attack to operate with.
“If you look at this Indian team, there have been too many changes, especially in the bowling attack. Prasidh Krishna went for runs in the first game against Ireland and was dropped. Prince Yadav came in (vs. Ireland), played exceptionally well, took wickets, India kept losing and then he wasn’t even in the starting XI for the next game,” Kumble said.
“As a new captain, you want a balanced bowling attack. The bowlers are the ones who win your matches. Yes, the batsmen score runs, but it is the bowlers who close the matches,” he added.
SRH bowling coach Varun Aaron, who has done a sensational job with the young bowling crop in the IPL, pointed out the tactical flaws that cost India the game.
“At Trent Bridge in India, they bowled slower balls and yorkers too early. It wasn’t necessary on this surface. You miss Jasprit Bumrah here. He is someone who reads the conditions very quickly and can tell the captain what lengths work,” Aaron said.
It’s sad that you can’t have Bumrah in every game and maybe the team management or the captain has to step in and guide the bowlers in what needs to be done between games.
WILL INDIA MAKE A CHANGE?
After losing two matches in a row, India may be called for changes. Sanju Samson is the first name that comes to mind, but the team management will be trolled heavily if they bring him back into the lineup immediately.
One thing India could do is bring Washington Sundar into the lineup. The move adds strength in both bowling and batting, something India could fall back on.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN INDIA LOSES?
If India lose Thursday’s match, they will lose the back-to-back T20I series, which will be a big stain on Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy record. A string of losses like this could make the selectors rethink their attitude towards their captain. However, it would be really immature of them to go that route.
A loss in Bristol will force India to rethink the strategy that won them the T20 World Cup. The next edition of the tournament is in Australia and with India having already started experimenting with bowlers suited to the conditions, they could also be looking at recalibrating their batting order.
The win, on the other hand, will come as a huge relief for Shreyas Iyer, who will be glad to break the dreadful jinx he is in. One hopes that Shreyas Iyer, the battle-hardened veteran of the home environment, will go from strength to strength in this series.
He’s taken on storms before. Maybe he has enough power to see this one off too.
INDIA Vs. ENGLAND: PITCH CONDITIONS
Bristol is a high-scoring course where there are usually 200 run par scores. But this season the run score has fallen and something around the 170-180 run mark should be good enough. There is no chance of rain and temperatures are expected to be warmer at the start of the game. Win the toss, opting to bat first should be what you want
INDIA vs ENGLAND: PREDICTED PLAYING XI
England: Phil Salt, Jos Buttler (wk), Harry Brook (c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue
India: Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
09 Jul 2026 08:09 IST