England crush India by 56 runs as Buttler blasts 131

England won by 56 runs against India in the fifth T20 of the India tour of England 2026, with Jos Buttler producing the standout performance in a blistering 131 as the hosts piled up 257/3 and tightened their grip on the series. The victory extends England’s lead to 4-0 with three matches of the tour still to come.

This was another emphatic England display in a T20 leg they have controlled from the outset. After the opening match ended in no result, England had already surged ahead with a four-wicket win in Match 2, a crushing 125-run victory in Match 3, and a nine-wicket romp in Match 4. Match 5 followed the same pattern: England’s batting overpowered India early, and the chase never quite recovered despite a few spirited contributions.

Buttler was the centrepiece of England’s innings, hammering 131, while Harry Brook provided a superb supporting hand with 95. Together they drove England to a towering 257/3 in 20 overs, a total that left India facing a near-perfect chase. Will Jacks added 7 in the innings, but the night belonged overwhelmingly to Buttler and Brook, whose scoring set the match up decisively.

India’s bowlers struggled to contain the assault. Shivam Dube picked up 2 wickets and Prasidh Krishna claimed 1, but the key issue was the lack of sustained control once Buttler and Brook got set. England’s 257/3 meant India needed to come hard from the start, and the pressure of the required rate shaped the chase from the powerplay onward.

To India’s credit, there was resistance. Ishan Kishan top-scored with 56, Tilak Varma made 53, and Shreyas Iyer added 28 as India reached 201/8 from their 20 overs. But every time they threatened to build momentum, England found a response with the ball. Sam Curran led that effort with 3 wickets, while Adil Rashid struck twice and Liam Dawson chipped in with 1 wicket.

The chase was not without intent, but England managed the middle and back end better. Curran’s breakthroughs disrupted India’s rhythm, and Rashid’s control ensured the asking rate stayed out of reach. Dawson’s contribution added to a rounded bowling performance that prevented the visitors from turning individual scores into a genuine match-winning partnership.

One curious scorecard note underlined England’s control: in a separate bowling summary for India, Jofra Archer returned 1/20 from 2 overs, Josh Tongue 0/25 from 2, Will Jacks 0/32 from 3, Sam Curran 1/25 from 2, Liam Dawson 1/14 from 2, and Adil Rashid 1/14 from 1.4. Even in a shortened snapshot, England’s bowlers kept finding answers.

With this win, England have now taken an unassailable 4-0 lead in the T20 leg after five of the eight matches on the tour. The remaining fixtures now switch format, with three ODIs still to come: England and India meet again on Tuesday, July 14, then Thursday, July 16, and Sunday, July 19.

For India, the task now is to reset quickly ahead of the 50-over matches and find a way to translate promising individual batting efforts into complete performances. For England, Buttler’s 131 was another reminder of just how destructive their T20 batting can be when the top order clicks.

NerdSports Stat: England have now won three consecutive matches in this series by 56 runs or more in adjusted margin terms — by 125 runs, by 9 wickets with 37 balls remaining, and now by 56 runs — underlining how one-sided the T20 leg has become.

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