Shreyas Iyer Smashes Maiden T20I Century as India Beats West Indies

Shreyas Iyer delivered a masterclass in the shortest format, smashing his maiden T20I century to guide India to an emphatic eight-wicket win against the West Indies in the series opener.

Taking charge after being appointed captain earlier this year, the experienced batter handled mounting scrutiny following previous losses against Ireland and England by anchoring the side in Lucknow.

Adjudged Player of the Match, Shreyas admitted at the presentation that his lifelong ambition of scoring a T20I hundred had finally materialized.

Starting slowly in the powerplay to assess the conditions, the 31-year-old eventually broke free to dismantle the visiting bowling attack all around the venue.

He reached the landmark in just 42 balls, becoming the first Indian skipper to score a T20I century during a run chase.

Shreyas struck 10 fours and 6 sixes, remaining unbeaten on 101 off 43 deliveries to successfully chase down the 172-run target with 32 balls remaining.

Earlier, India won the toss and elected to field, restricting the Windies to 171 as debutant Naman Dhir claimed three wickets despite half-centuries from Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford.

Despite early dismissals of Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson in the powerplay, Shreyas and Ishan Kishan steered the hosts across the finish line to secure a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.