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Jofra Archer heaped praise on Phil Salt after the opener's gritty knock set the platform for England's record-breaking T20 victory over India at Trent Bridge. Archer and Josh Tongue ran through the Indian batting lineup, sharing seven wickets between them as the reigning world champions were skittled out for just 76 runs. The 125-run defeat was India's heaviest ever loss in T20Is, with more than eight overs remaining. Archer, named player of the match, produced a fierce new-ball burst that removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel inside the powerplay. But the fast bowler was quick to deflect credit to Salt, whose 70 off 44 balls provided the backbone for England's total of 201 for 7.

Salt started cautiously, even surviving a maiden over from Arshdeep Singh, before accelerating in the ninth over. He smashed 53 runs off his last 25 deliveries, showing remarkable patience and composure. "Knowing Phil, he would have liked to come out of the blocks flying, but I'm really glad he didn't give his hand away," Archer said. "At one point I think he had five from nine balls and the Phil of old would probably have got out within a few balls.

I was really glad to see him stick at it. Sometimes you're not going to get the pretty runs, so he got some time in the middle, and it was really, really important." Archer and Tongue consistently bowled at speeds above 90mph, clearly targeting the Indian top order with raw pace. Their combined success makes a repeat performance likely in Bristol on Thursday, though Archer played down the emphasis on speed. "I didn't really think it was that pacy. It didn't really feel that way out of the hand," he said. "It's just how the luck went today. We have a lot of fun every time we bowl, and I enjoy bowling with Josh. We bowled pretty well in Manchester too, and neither of us really got the wickets to show for it, so I'm just glad we got some today." India captain Shreyas Iyer, whose side also suffered a shocking 2-0 series defeat to Ireland in Belfast, was left fuming.

India now need to win both remaining matches just to salvage a draw. "Go back to the drawing board. It wasn't a 200-wicket... but when you're chasing, you have to set patterns, and our execution was off," Iyer said. "It's a great opportunity to come back strong. We've played awful cricket, but there is lots to learn as well. Every individual has to work on creating impact and taking responsibility."