Watch cricket video highlights of England tour of India 2025. Fifth Twenty/20 between India and England. Venue of the match will be Wankhede.
Copyright – Third Party Reference Inline Linking Embedded Video from BCCI
Report
Abhishek Sharma shattered records left and right—along with England’s pace-heavy T20I lineup—by scoring 135 runs off just 54 balls, setting a new benchmark for India batters in T20Is. Thanks to his performance, India amassed an impressive total of 247 for 9, which ensured a commanding 150-run victory and a 4-1 series win. In reply, Phil Salt rediscovered some of the flair that had dazzled during last year’s IPL, racing to a half-century off 21 balls, but he was the only batsman to make an impact as England collapsed to 97 all out in 10.3 overs.
Even after his outstanding innings, Abhishek continued to influence the match. First, he was quick to catch Ben Duckett’s initial drive, giving Mohammed Shami the first of his three dismissals. Later, after Jos Buttler, Harry Brook, and Liam Livingstone had all fallen short in their pursuit of the daunting run rate, Abhishek was brought on to bowl in the ninth over and promptly took two more wickets within five deliveries, as Brydon Carse and Jamie Overton were both dismissed.
Nonetheless, all of this action was secondary to the day’s primary highlight. The statistics from Abhishek’s innings were as astonishing as his explosive batting. He smashed a record 13 sixes for India (roughly one out of every four balls faced), with all delivered in an arc from point to mid-on, putting the crowd at extra cover in a hazardous position. His rapid fifty came off just 17 balls, making it the second-fastest for India in this format; his century off 37 balls places him just behind David Miller’s 35-ball record against Bangladesh in 2017.
Marking the second-fastest century in matches between Full Member nations. Under Abhishek’s leadership, India surged to 95 for 1 in the six-over powerplay, setting yet another national record, even after Jos Buttler chose to field first. At times, it resembled a high-intensity Stick Cricket match, as Abhishek fully trusted the conditions and England’s often predictable lengths, leading him to confidently strike both pace and spin bowlers, dispatching even 150 km/h deliveries with ease.
By the ten-over mark of the innings, India’s aspirations were sky-high. Abhishek had powered his way to 99 runs off 36 balls, and with 143 for 2 on the scoreboard, a historic 300-run total seemed within reach. However, England managed to find a foothold, especially due to Brydon Carse’s superb three-wicket spell. Abhishek’s momentum fell off significantly after he gently nudged a rare single into the covers to secure his century, as he managed only nine runs from nine balls in the following six overs.
Yet, India’s aggressive approach could not be completely suppressed. Abhishek reestablished himself as Carse’s final over yielded 17 runs, and although he ultimately misplayed a wrong’un from Adil Rashid to deep cover, not before he hit two more sixes straight back over the bowler’s head. Tension lingered after the controversial events in Pune, where Harshit Rana’s contentious entry as Shivam Dube’s concussion substitute had left England feeling disgruntled. Buttler’s amusing characterization of England’s four unselected players as “impact subs” added to the post-match drama.
The fact that Dube was back on the field just 48 hours after receiving a heavy hit to his helmet from Overton only gave England more reason to question that decision. However, not only did Dube show no signs of any problems, but he also highlighted that his bowling—though noticeably less fast than Harshit’s—was equally capable of making an impact. His opening delivery, in the eighth over, marked the end of England’s innings.
Salt had smashed 17 runs off Shami’s first over, representing the only time England had kept pace with India’s scoring, but when he edged Dube’s 117kph delivery to Dhruv Jurel, England found themselves at 82 for 5 and in deep trouble. He then bowled Jacob Bethell with the very first delivery of his next over. Additionally, he also scored 30 runs off 13 balls for good measure. Carse has experienced an outstanding breakthrough winter for England across different formats.
His eagerness for difficult overs has already secured him a spot as the preferred third seamer in Test cricket, and numerous examples of those same admirable qualities were evident in a tough match situation today. Carse commenced his spell while India was cruising at more than 15 runs per over, having reached 127 for 1 after eight overs, but from the very beginning, his knack for delivering hard lengths combined with clever changes of pace distinguished him from his teammates, who favored a more predictable approach.
Mark Wood and Jofra Archer set the tone for England’s strategy with an aggressively straightforward display during the powerplay, which, while unsophisticated, was incredibly exciting to watch. Archer’s first-over contest with Sanju Samson involved two sixes, 16 runs, and a painful cut to his finger from a lifting delivery; Wood’s subsequent over hardly dropped below 150kph as Samson was caught at deep square leg—his fifth dismissal from the pull shot in as many innings this series.
Suryakumar Yadav faced a similar fate—once again, India’s captain fell victim to a leading edge, ending his series with just 28 runs over five innings. Nevertheless, with Abhishek at the other end, it didn’t carry much weight.
