ENG vs IND 5th T20I toss delayed — Unusual reason revealed

The toss for the fifth T20I of the five-match series between England and India at the Rose Bowl in Southampton was delayed for an unusual reason, shocking fans. The visitors hope to end the T20I series with a victory, having already lost three of the first four clashes, apart from the opening encounter at Chester-le-Street, which was washed out due to rain.

India’s newly appointed T20I captain, Shreyas Iyer, had been under massive pressure as they came to England, having already lost the two-match historic T20I series against Ireland in Belfast. This game could decide a lot of the future going ahead in the calendar. 0

Why has the toss been delayed for the ENG vs IND 5th T20I?

For a long time before the start of the game, the home players were seen to be warming up in the middle as the glorious sunshine in Southampton welcomed them. But there was no trace of the Indian players as the fans looked a bit concerned.

Later, the news came that the toss had been delayed as the Indian side was stuck in traffic. This is one of the unusual reasons behind the game’s late start. Nearly 10 minutes after the scheduled time of the toss, the blue brigade made their way onto the ground and took the stairs to go to the dressing room.

Shreyas was seen walking into the middle with his bat and gloves for a brief warm-up session, as the toss was delayed by 45 minutes, with the game starting 30 minutes after the scheduled start.

India won the toss and decided to bowl first on a surface which was a bit dry. Since 2021, in the five T20Is in Southampton, all teams have won while batting first with winning margins of 89, 50, 90, 28, and 37 runs.

India aim to protect their No.1 ICC T20I ranking with a win over England

In the opening T20I of the series, the visitors posted a massive score of 189 runs for the loss of seven wickets in their allotted 20 overs before rain came in to abandon the clash. In the second game at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester, the hosts completed the 191-run chase by four wickets with one over to spare.

In the third game, having set 201 runs on the board in the first innings, the home side bundled out the Indian side with 76 runs in 11.4 overs to earn a massive victory by 125 runs. During the fourth T20I in Bristol, the home side sealed the series with a nine-wicket win in the 159-run chase.

“We've been told if we win the next game, we go to world No.1 and that's definitely a prize that we're eyeing up. India are a strong side. They probably haven't been as good [in this series] as they have been over the last couple of years, but we're really happy with the way that we've executed our plans.” The England captain, Harry Brook, revealed this in the press conference in Bristol.