Shreyas Iyer struck an unbeaten 102 off 42 deliveries to guide India to an eight-wicket victory over West Indies on October 6, 2026, at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. The captain’s innings featured 10 fours and 6 sixes as India chased down 172 in 14.4 overs. The win extended India’s run to 10 successive victories.
Iyer reached his half-century off 28 balls, then accelerated sharply to add the next 52 runs from just 15 deliveries. This was his maiden T20I century. The performance came shortly after India’s gold medal triumph at the Asian Games 2026 in Japan earlier in the month.
“It is a great start, especially after coming from Japan (Asian Games). It was kind of challenging, but I must say that is what we look for when we are playing at this level. We love challenges, and we want to make sure that we are at the top of our game and leave the excuses aside,” Iyer said in a video released by BCCI.
Nayar’s guidance shaped Iyer’s batting approach
The India captain credited a conversation with Abhishek Nayar during the Asian Games period as a key influence on his batting strategy. Nayar, who was part of India’s support staff in Japan, discussed cricket fundamentals with Iyer during that time. Iyer explained how this interaction shaped his approach in the chase.
“I had a brief interaction with Abhishek Nayar in that period (during his time in Japan) where we were talking about cricket. I think that conversation with him helped me a lot in today’s performance. The key note which I observed in my batting today was setting myself before the delivery of the ball, and that worked perfectly. So, to create that momentum and rhythm was essential at the start of the innings, and it worked out pretty well,” Iyer said.
Historical significance of Iyer’s T20I hundred
Ishan Kishan remained unbeaten on 37, combining with Iyer in a 137-run partnership for the third wicket to seal the chase. West Indies had posted 171 for 10 in 19.1 overs, with Shai Hope scoring 52 and Sherfane Rutherford 56. Naman Dhir, making his debut, took 3 wickets for 31 runs in India’s bowling effort.
Iyer’s 42-ball century ranks as the joint-third fastest by a captain from a Test-playing nation in T20I history. The achievement marked a significant milestone for Indian captaincy in the format. Iyer became the third Indian skipper to score a T20I century, following Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav, and the only one to achieve the feat while batting second in a run-chase. The previous highest score by an India captain batting second was 94 not out by Virat Kohli against West Indies in Hyderabad in 2019.
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