Jos Buttler plundered a first international century in three years to power England to an emphatic 56-run victory over India to take over at the top of the T20 world rankings.
A run of 18 matches in this format without reaching 40 had increased Buttler’s doubters, but he silenced critics in supreme fashion at the Ageas Bowl with an exhibition in clean-hitting, smashing eight sixes in a destructive innings of 131.
Buttler’s second T20I hundred occurred in an incredible stand of 233 with captain Harry Brook, who made 95 not out and played his part in a final effort of 257 for three, which represented a second-highest total for England in this format and a new best partnership.
It always looked a long shot for India to prevent a 4-0 whitewash in the Vitality Series and while Ishan Kishan hit 56, the tourists ended on 201 for eight after Sam Curran claimed three for 36.
Attention next turns to a three-match ODI series, which begins in Birmingham on Tuesday.
India were delayed by heavy traffic, which pushed back the start by half an hour to 3pm and fans in Southampton then discovered 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had been dropped.
That news quickly played second fiddle on a day which belonged to Buttler, born two decades before Sooryavanshi.
Buttler watched Phil Salt depart for six, but pulled for four to get the ball rolling and his full repertoire was soon on display.
A beautiful drive over mid-on for the first six of the match was quickly backed up by a reverse scoop for four by Buttler.
Brook had only faced three balls by this stage, with Buttler on 33, but after he was dropped on three when Shivam Dube lost flight of a skier, the England captain rubbed salt in the wounds with back-to-back maximums off Prince Yadav.
More followed off Axar Patel and Brook went beyond Buttler’s 45 during the 10th over to reach fifty first off 19 balls.
However, Buttler returned to centre stage. A four through cover brought up a first score of 50 or more for England since September – a run of 24 white-ball matches.
Buttler was in the zone and motored towards three figures, with a cut and heave for four backed up with a pull for six before Yadav was thundered down the ground during a 21-run over.
The 16th produced Buttler’s first international hundred since 2023 and a second in this format after the 35-year-old effortlessly pulled Patel over square leg to bring up a 51-ball ton.
Brook and Buttler had already set a record England partnership in T20Is, moving past Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan’s 182 against New Zealand in 2019.
Now Buttler had Salt’s highest score of 141 in sight, but after successive sixes off Dube, he was caught by Iyer at mid-off for 131 and Brook – who whacked Suryansh Shedge for 24 runs – had to settle for 95 not out in England’s 257 for three.
Set 258 for an improbable triumph, Sooryavanshi’s replacement Sanju Samson pulled Josh Tongue into the stand for two sixes, but chipped Curran’s first ball to Jacob Bethell to walk off for 27.
India captain Iyer put on 55 for the third wicket alongside Kishan, but sent a thick edge to Curran off Liam Dawson at his home venue in the first ball after drinks.
Kishan reached a half-century soon after, only to fall to a brilliant catch by Salt on the run from deep midwicket and that Adil Rashid wicket all but ended India’s realistic hopes of victory.
Tilak Varma had some fun on his way to 53, but was fittingly one of three catches taken by Buttler on a memorable afternoon for England’s wicket-keeper.
