Iyer's unbeaten 102 gives India win over West Indies in Lucknow, 1-0 up in T20 series

India beat West Indies in the first T20 international at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Chasing a target of 172, captain Shreyas Iyer batted aggressively and scored the first century of his T20 career, making the match a historic one for the Indian team.

Showing his ability to hit all around the ground, Iyer thrashed the Caribbean bowlers. His innings gave India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, and several records came his way.

Iyer became the first Indian captain to score a century while chasing in T20 internationals. The previous highest score by an Indian captain in a chase belonged to Virat Kohli, who made an unbeaten 94 against West Indies in Hyderabad in 2019.

The world record for the highest individual score by any captain in a chase belongs to Pakistan's Babar Azam. In 2021 at Centurion, he made it off 59 balls while chasing a target of 204 against South Africa.

Iyer is the third Indian captain to score a T20 century, after Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav. India's highest individual score in a chase is Suryakumar Yadav's 117 against England in 2022. Iyer's unbeaten 102 puts his name on that list as well.

Iyer's hundred is the second fastest in T20 internationals against West Indies. Only Australia's Tim David has scored a faster one, a century off 37 balls at Basseterre in 2025.

Iyer is also joint third on the list of fastest T20 international centuries by a captain of a full-member nation. Only Zimbabwe's Sikandar Raza (33 balls) and India's Rohit Sharma (35 balls) are ahead of him.

Ishan Kishan and Iyer shared an unbeaten third-wicket partnership of 137 runs, which won the match. It is India's joint-highest third-wicket stand in T20 internationals. Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav had earlier put on the same number of runs against New Zealand at Thiruvananthapuram in 2026.

India made a poor start to the chase, and an early wicket increased the pressure. As soon as Iyer came in, he took charge, moved the scoreboard along quickly and put the opposition under pressure. His unbeaten innings of 43 balls included 10 fours and 6 sixes, which means he scored 76 runs off just 16 balls through boundaries alone.

West Indies' bowlers tried to bowl accurately in the Powerplay and afterwards. But once Iyer settled in at the crease, no bowler was effective. He took on both spin and pace. The win should further lift the team's morale for the coming matches.

Iyer won the match for the side with a winning shot at the end of the innings, completing his century as well. The Lucknow crowd gave him a standing ovation for the innings.