‘Harshit Rana’s batting came in the Powerplay’ — Aakash Chopra slams India’s batting collapse in 3rd T20I

Former India batter and cricket commentator Aakash Chopra has torn into India’s batting performance in the third T20I against England at Trent Bridge after the visitors crumbled to 76 all out while chasing 202 and suffered their heaviest defeat by runs in T20I cricket on Tuesday, July 7.

England posted 201 for 7 in 20 overs, with Phil Salt hitting 70 off 44 balls and Sam Curran adding an unbeaten 41. Josh Tongue claimed four wickets and Jofra Archer three as India’s chase fell apart inside 12 overs, with five wickets lost in the powerplay alone.

“The headline story is: What has happened to the Indian batting? Believe it or not, we were 41/2 at one stage and got all out for 76. We lost five wickets in the Powerplay. Harshit Rana’s batting came in the Powerplay. We folded up in 11.4 overs,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra on why India’s batting collapse is a recurring problem

The former India opener was unsparing when placing the defeat in the broader context of India’s recent batting struggles.

“76 all out from 41/2, it is just not right, and this is not happening for the first time. The problem is that it is happening repeatedly. We fell short massively while chasing middling totals in Ireland. You can lose, but this was like a follow-on in T20 cricket. A 125-run loss is absolutely mindboggling,” Chopra observed.

India captain Shreyas Iyer was equally candid at the post-match presentation.

“It was atrocious. Losing by such a big margin isn’t acceptable,” Iyer said as quoted by Cricinfo.

How did England set up their 125-run win at Trent Bridge?

The Three Lions were clinical in every department. Salt’s 70 off 44 balls anchored the innings before Curran pushed the hosts to 201 for 7 with an unbeaten 41 off 24 balls. In the chase, Tongue returned four for 28 while ace pacer Archer had three for 29 and was named Player of the Match.

The hosts now lead the five-match T20I series 2-0. The Men in Blue, meanwhile, must win all three remaining matches to claim the series and face the hosts next in the fourth T20I on Thursday, July 9.