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Gautam Gambhir and Harshit Rana (Source: AFP)
India's struggles in the T20I format continued as they suffered a crushing 125-run defeat against England in the third T20I at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on July 9.
The embarrassing loss became India's biggest defeat by runs in T20I history, surpassing the previous record of an 80-run defeat against New Zealand in 2019.
Biggest Defeats for India in T20Is (By Runs):
125 vs England, Nottingham, 2026, Today*
80 vs New Zealand, Wellington, 2019
76 vs South Africa, Ahmedabad, 2026
The defeat also handed England a 2-0 lead in the five-match series and increased the pressure on India's team management led by head coach Gautam Gambhir.
While India's poor batting performance grabbed the headlines, Gautam Gambhir's tactical decisions during the chase also came under heavy criticism.
Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue Rip Through India As Visitors Register Historic Defeat
Bowling first, India struggled to keep England's aggressive batting in check. Phil Salt led the charge with a brilliant 70 off just 44 balls at a strike rate of 159.09, helping the hosts post a challenging total of 201/7 in their 20 overs.
India needed a strong start in the chase, but the batting line-up completely fell apart against England's pace attack.
Jofra Archer produced a sensational spell with the new ball, while Josh Tongue cleaned up the middle and lower order to finish with four wickets.
India's innings never recovered from the early damage. Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel were all dismissed inside the first six overs.
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The visitors were eventually bowled out for only 76 in just 12 overs, registering their second-lowest total in T20I cricket.
It was another disappointing outing for the side, who have now failed to win any of their last five T20I matches and are still searching for their first victory under captain Shreyas Iyer.
Dinesh Karthik Loses Cool Over Gautam Gambhir’s Tactical Call
Amid India's dramatic collapse, one decision by the team management and Gautam Gambhir became the talk of the town.
With India reeling after losing five wickets, the management surprisingly sent fast bowler Harshit Rana to bat ahead of all-rounder Shivam Dube. The move left fans puzzled, especially given India's desperate need for an experienced batter to rebuild the innings.
Former India cricketer and commentator Dinesh Karthik could not hide his disbelief on commentary.
"Harshit Rana coming to bat before Shivam Dube, are you kidding me? I don't even think Harshit Rana has ever batted in the powerplay, even in domestic cricket," Karthik said on commentary.
He further questioned the reasoning behind the move, saying, "You can get the left-right combination working in T20 cricket, but only up to a point. Not Harshit Rana ahead of Shivam Dube," he added.
The controversial batting order change failed to produce any positive result as India continued to lose wickets at regular intervals before being bowled out for 76.
With the series now at 2-0 in favour of England, the fourth match of the series will be played on July 9.
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.jpg?type=mq "Shreyas Iyer speaks")
