Shreyas Iyer's maiden T20I hundred carries India past West Indies in Lucknow

Shreyas Iyer made his first T20I century count as India chased down 172 inside 15 overs to beat West Indies by eight wickets in the series opener at Lucknow

India won the first T20I of the five-match series by eight wickets, reaching their target of 172 in 14.4 overs at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Iyer, captaining the side, finished unbeaten on 102 from 43 balls.

It was his maiden hundred in the format and his highest T20I score, passing the 80 not out he made against England at Bristol earlier this year. He hit 10 fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 237.21.

West Indies had been bowled out for 171 in 19.1 overs after Iyer put them in, half-centuries from Sherfane Rutherford and Shai Hope undone by a middle order that could not stay with them. India lead the series 1-0.

Hope and Rutherford set the platform

Hope reached his fifty from 36 balls and made 52, holing out to Axar Patel at deep midwicket. Rutherford was the more severe of the two, bringing up his half-century from 31 balls on the way to 56 before Mayank Yadav removed him.

Between them they carried the innings. The rest of the order managed little: Shimron Hetmyer was run out for 5, Rovman Powell fell for a duck to Axar Patel, and Roston Chase was leg before to Kuldeep Yadav for 5.

Romario Shepherd made 7 and Matthew Forde 2 as the tail offered no resistance, and West Indies were dismissed with five balls of their 20 overs unused.

Dhir takes three on debut

The afternoon belonged to Naman Dhir, who was handed his first India cap and returned 3-31 from his four overs. He had Hope caught at deep midwicket, then accounted for Shepherd at long-off and Shamar Springer.

Dhir became only the third India spinner to take three wickets on a T20I debut, and his figures are the third-best by an India bowler in a first T20I.

He was well supported. Axar Patel took 2-26 from 3.1 overs and Kuldeep Yadav 2-33, with Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav taking one apiece.

Iyer and Kishan settle the chase

Abhishek Sharma made 21 and Sanju Samson 11 before Iyer and Ishan Kishan came together, and from there the result was never seriously in doubt.

The pair put on an unbroken 137 from 68 balls for the third wicket. Kishan was content to turn the strike over for 37 not out from 27 balls while Iyer took on the bowling.

Iyer reached three figures with a six and finished the match in the same over, leaving 32 balls unused.

Where the hundred sits

Iyer got to his century from 42 balls, the fastest T20I hundred by an India batter against West Indies. It passed the 46-ball century KL Rahul made against them in 2016.

Across all teams it is the second-fastest hundred in a T20I against West Indies, behind the 37-ball innings Tim David played in 2025.

He is also only the third man to score a T20I century while captaining India, after Rohit Sharma, who has three, and Suryakumar Yadav.

What Iyer said afterwards

"Adapting quickly and bowling first helped. We wanted to come and play as any cricketer would. We just looked at the excitement of playing West Indies," Iyer said after the match.

"I was actually thinking about getting my maiden T20I century, and it came through. Winning tastes different. Today it was me who finished off the game," he added.

He also offered a view on where the side is heading: "I think if we continue with the same mindset, we will be one of the most destructive teams."

Scorecard: West Indies 171 all out (19.1 overs); India 172 for 2 (14.4 overs). India won by eight wickets.

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