England vs India: Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue inflict record T20 defeat on tourists
Both were exciting things to come from England’s new bowlers, who went above 90 mph to create the kind of animosity the hosts believe will bring success in Test cricket.
The high-speed, short-range attack also raises questions for the vaunted Indian brass, who have given up in the face of a constant barrage.
Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were left in the deep square of the wicket, but the crucial moment was the fall of Sooryavanshi.
In his second international match, the left-hander sliced the second ball he faced off Archer for six against the third man.
With the rowdy crowd growing quiet with each encounter, Sooryavanshi clipped his next delivery from Dil to mid-wicket for another six.
But England had a plan to test him with the short ball. In Archer’s next over, he served up a 90mph header that Sooryavanshi gloved to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Before the powerplay was over, Archer also edged out Tilak Varma; this marked the first time that India had a men’s T20 national team lose five wickets in the powerplay.
The rest was a rite of passage. Tongue bounced back to record his best figures in any T20 in his second international appearance as Adil Rashid took two wickets while fellow spinner Will Jacks took one wicket.
There was a moment of comedy when Arshdeep Singh skied Tongue for what appeared to be a simple catch, only for Curran and Buttler to bowl to each other down the left.
That was the only thing England did wrong all evening. It took 70 deliveries for India to be dismissed; this was their shortest all-out innings in a T20.
