India suffered a four wicket defeat to England in the second match of their five match T20I series at Old Trafford in Manchester, leaving the visitors 0-1 down in the series. The loss also handed captain Shreyas Iyer an unwanted piece of history that no leader would want attached to his name.
A winless start across the first four matches
Shreyas Iyer took over as India's full time T20I captain during the tour of Ireland. India played two matches in Ireland and suffered a series clean sweep for the first time. The opening match of the England tour was then washed out by rain and could not be completed. The Manchester match was Iyer's fourth match in charge, yet it also ended without a win, meaning he is still searching for his first victory as captain.
A record no Indian captain has carried before
Shreyas Iyer has become the 12th player to captain India in at least three T20I matches. But among those 12 captains, he is now the only one who failed to win any of his first four matches at the helm. This dismal start places his name in the record books in a way that inevitably raises questions about his leadership, even though it was his consistently impressive captaincy in the IPL that convinced the selectors to hand him the T20I reins in the first place. Few would have predicted such an unfortunate start to his tenure.
India's worst run since 2021
The defeats under Shreyas Iyer have not been limited to a single match. India have now lost three T20I matches in a row, the first time this has happened since 2021. This hat trick of defeats has dealt a heavy blow to the team's morale.
England's record breaking chase against India
India's bowling fell apart in the Manchester match. India had set England a target of 191 runs, but the bowling unit under Shreyas Iyer's captaincy could not defend the total. This is now the highest total ever successfully chased by England against India in T20I history. England's previous best chase against India came in 2012, when they overhauled a target of 178 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. India will now have to regroup quickly in the remaining matches, though the damage from three straight losses has already been done.
