India captain Shreyas Iyer seething after "atrocious" record T20 defeat to England

India captain Shreyas Iyer branded his side's 125-run defeat as "atrocious" after England inflicted a record T20 loss on the reigning world champions.

Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue blew India away with raw pace at Trent Bridge as the tourists were skittled for 76 in pursuit of 202 for a series-levelling victory.

The emphatic result in Nottingham handed England a 2-0 lead in the series with two games still to play in Bristol and Southampton - live on Sky Sports.

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But before the tourists get the chance to respond, the inquest is already under way after a defeat that eclipsed India's previous worst result in T20 internationals by a massive 45-run margin.

"It was atrocious. I can't use a better word. Losing by such a big margin isn't acceptable," Iyer told Sky Sports Cricket.

"We need to accept this loss and go back to the drawing board and see what we did wrong."

Reflecting on how his side unravelled so dramatically, Iyer added: "First of all, it wasn't a 200 wicket. Losing four wickets in the powerplay meant we never created any momentum and lost our way.

"You can plan a lot but once you come into the ground you have to adapt and figure out what lengths are important to bowl. Hard lengths helped the bowlers on this wicket, but we didn't execute enough of them.

"When you're chasing, you have to establish patterns and methods. We fell short and our execution was awful.

"We've played awful cricket but there's lots to learn as well. It's a great opportunity to come back strong and not dwell on what happened in the past.

"Players have to figure out ways to create an impact. Every individual has to see how they can win matches and take that responsibility."

'More questions than answers'

The record defeat at Trent Bridge was the fourth India have suffered in as many completed matches against England and Ireland.

Former India international Dinesh Karthik conceded there are currently more questions than answers surrounding Iyer''s captaincy and a team struggling in all facets of the game.

"Shreyas Iyer will know he has walked into mega territory," he told Sky Sports Cricket. "Being the captain of a World Cup-winning team brings a huge amount of pressure.

"Five games have gone by - one washed out - and the other four have not gone well. But it gives him a great opportunity to stand up as a leader and earn respect.

"Over the next two games, he needs to let his bat do the talking and score runs, but also drive this team forward and instil a huge amount of belief in both his ability and the direction of the side.

"There is a lot for this India team to ponder, and it's not just the batting and bowling. The fielding has also been poor.

"They have a middle order that is struggling, their spinners have gone backwards in back-to-back games and, of their three pacers, one is a newcomer while the other two have not been at their best.

"At the moment, there are more questions than answers."

Does Sooryavanashi have answer to short ball?

Archer and Tongue proved too hot to handle, with both seamers pushing the speed gun beyond 90mph to scatter India's power-packed top order in a match-winning new-ball burst.

Among their victims was 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who struck two sixes before once again falling cheaply for 13 after being undone by a rapid Archer bouncer that set India's collapse in motion.

"The short ball at the helmet is going to come a lot for Sooryavanshi," Karthik said. "What are his answers to that?

"He needs to understand how to deal with it, how to ride the pace and how to get inside the line of the ball.

"Understanding what you need to do as a solution is key. In T20 cricket, you get one bumper, so you need to make sure you're good enough to deal with it."

England's vs India - white-ball series

• First T20 (Durham) - Match abandoned - No result
• Second T20 (Manchester) - England won by four wickets
• Third T20 (Nottingham) - England won by 125 runs
• Fourth T20 (Thursday July 9) - Seat Unique Stadium, Bristol (5.30pm)
• Fifth T20 (Saturday July 11) - Utilita Bowl, Southampton (2.30pm)
• First ODI (Tuesday July 14) - Edgbaston, Birmingham (11am)
• Second ODI (Thursday July 16) - Sophia Gardens, Cardiff (1pm)
• Third ODI (Sunday July 19) - Lord's, London (11am)

Watch the fourth T20 international between England and India on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Cricket from 5pm (first ball 5.30pm). Not got Sky? Stream cricket and more with NOW.

(c) Sky Sports 2026: India captain Shreyas Iyer seething after "atrocious" record T20 defeat to England