Shreyas Iyer Becomes First Indian Captain To Lose A T20I Series In England

Shreyas Iyer [Source: AFP]

Team India suffered yet another demoralizing defeat against England, this time in a must-win fourth T20I of the series. The outcome handed hosts England an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, with the visiting Indian team losing its second successive series on their European tour. 

It is worth noting that India’s T20I tours of Ireland and England also ushered in a new era for the T20 World champions, with new captain Shreyas Iyer taking over the high-profile responsibility from an ousted Suryakumar Yadav. 

So far, Iyer’s tenure has begun on a forgettable note, with India suffering five straight defeats spanning two straight series losses across both nations. The latest result also ensured that the 31-year-old now holds an unwanted national record, previously held by no other Team India skipper in T20I history.

Shreyas Iyer fails to honor Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma legacy

With a defeat in the fourth match, Shreyas Iyer has now become the first captain in Indian history to lose a T20I series in England. 

Previously, Team India won its three-match T20I series in July 2018 under the leadership of Virat Kohli. Roughly four years later, the ‘Men in Blue’ secured another 2-1 series win in England, this time under the captaincy of legendary opener Rohit Sharma. 

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While India did lose one-off T20I matches in England in 2011 and 2014 under the leadership of MS Dhoni, those were standalone fixtures and not bilateral T20I series. As a result, they are not considered in this record, leaving Iyer as the first Indian captain to lose a T20I series on English soil.

Phil Salt, Harry Brook fire England past India

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first in India’s must-win fourth T20I of the five-match series. In response, the visitors lost each of its top three, including star opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, for just 48 on the board. 

Captain Iyer conjured a fighting 80* from 49 balls from his end to steer his side to a competitive 158-7 in 20 overs. For England, fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue picked up two wickets each in the innings. 

Chasing 159, England lost struggling opener Jos Buttler for an eight-ball eight to Arshdeep Singh in the third over. However, explosive half-centuries from Phil Salt (59* off 42) and Harry Brook (79* off 35) blazed the Englishmen past India in just 13.5 overs with nine wickets intact. 

The England cricket team, under the leadership of Brook, has now won its first-ever full-fledged T20I series against India at home.

Shreyas Iyer: Yet to lose a toss, yet to win a match

Shreyas Iyer was named Team India’s T20I captain as a replacement of struggling batter Suryakumar Yadav last month, even though the latter led the team to a historic 2026 T20 World Cup win earlier this year. 

Marking India’s new era with a series in Ireland and England, Iyer’s team has now lost each of its first five completed fixtures across both countries. After suffering a shambolic 0-2 series loss in Ireland that abruptly ended India’s three-year unbeaten series streak, the World Champions are now trailing 0-3 in England after four matches.

What’s even worse is that captain Iyer won the toss in each of those matches, making his winless record all the more embarrassing.

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