India beat West Indies in 1st T20 in spectacular fashion as captain Shreyas Iyer produced one of the most destructive T20I innings of his career in Lucknow. India chased down West Indies’ 172-run target in only 14.4 overs, winning by eight wickets and taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
The headline belonged to Iyer, who smashed an unbeaten 102 from just 43 balls. He reached his century from 42 deliveries, making it the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian against West Indies. His innings featured 10 fours and six sixes, and his strike rate of 237.21 underlined just how dominant the chase became.
But India’s victory was not just about one batter. The bowlers first restricted West Indies to 171, before Ishan Kishan joined Iyer in completely taking the game away from the visitors.
Naman Dhir makes a memorable T20I debut
India’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss eventually proved to be an excellent one.
West Indies were put under pressure early and struggled to build a strong platform. Their top order could not convert its opportunities, leaving the middle order with the task of repairing the innings.
Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford then gave the West Indies innings some stability. Hope scored 56, while Rutherford made 52, helping the visitors recover and push their total towards a competitive 171.
However, India’s bowlers kept striking at important moments.
Debutant Naman Dhir was particularly impressive. Playing his first T20I, Dhir finished with 3 wickets for 31 runs, making an immediate impact on the international stage. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel also claimed two wickets each, while Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav picked up one apiece.
West Indies were eventually bowled out for 171 in 19.1 overs.
At that stage, 172 was a respectable target, but India’s batting line-up made it look surprisingly small.
Shreyas Iyer turns the chase into a record-breaking show
India’s chase did not begin perfectly.
Sanju Samson was dismissed for 11 from nine balls, while Abhishek Sharma made 21 from only 10 deliveries. But those early wickets barely mattered because Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer immediately changed the momentum.
Kishan played the perfect supporting role, scoring an unbeaten 37 from 27 balls, while Iyer attacked almost every bowler who came his way.
The pair added an unbeaten 137 runs for the third wicket, one of the most significant numbers from India’s victory.
According to the match statistics, the 137-run partnership is the joint-highest third-wicket stand for India in T20Is, matching the 137-run partnership previously recorded by Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram in 2026.
That makes the partnership even more impressive because it came while India were chasing a target and needed to maintain a high scoring rate.
Iyer did exactly that.
He brought up his maiden T20I century in only 42 balls before finishing unbeaten on 102 from 43 deliveries. The Indian captain’s innings contained 10 fours and six sixes, and his strike rate crossed an extraordinary 237.
India eventually reached 172/2 in just 14.4 overs.
Shreyas Iyer’s fastest T20I hundred puts him among India’s elite
The century also added Iyer’s name to another impressive list.
His hundred came from 42 balls, putting him among the fastest T20I centuries scored by captains from full-member nations.
The list is led by Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza, who reached his hundred in 33 balls against Gambia in 2024. Rohit Sharma’s 35-ball hundred against Sri Lanka in Indore in 2017 remains one of India’s most famous T20I innings.
Harry Brook reached his century in 42 balls against Sri Lanka in Southampton in 2026, while Iyer has now joined him with another 42-ball hundred.
For Iyer, however, there was an additional milestone: this was his first T20I century.
It was also his second century at the Ekana Stadium in T20 cricket. His previous T20 scores at the venue included 57*, 23, 52 and now 102*, taking his aggregate to 335 runs in five innings with just one dismissal. His strike rate across those innings is an extraordinary 200.59.
That record shows how comfortable Iyer has become at the Lucknow venue.
India dominate West Indies in the chase
India’s approach during the chase was perhaps the biggest difference between the two sides.
West Indies had to fight hard to reach 171 after losing wickets regularly. India, on the other hand, attacked from the start and never allowed the required run rate to become a problem.
Abhishek Sharma provided a rapid start with 21 from 10 balls, including three fours and a six. After his dismissal, Ishan Kishan and Iyer took control.
Kishan’s unbeaten 37 was particularly valuable because it allowed Iyer to play with maximum freedom at the other end.
The final numbers tell the story.
India scored 172 runs in 14.4 overs, meaning the required run rate was comfortably under control throughout the chase. Iyer alone scored 102, accounting for well over half of India’s runs.
The eight-wicket victory also means India have started the five-match T20I series exactly as they would have wanted.
West Indies now face a major challenge
For West Indies, there were positives despite the defeat.
Hope and Rutherford both scored half-centuries, and the visitors managed to recover from a difficult beginning to post 171. But losing all 10 wickets and then watching India chase the target in less than 15 overs shows how much work remains.
The biggest concern will be their inability to stop Iyer once he settled at the crease.
The West Indies bowlers needed early wickets in India’s chase, but after Ishan Kishan and Iyer came together, the pressure shifted completely.
The second T20I will therefore be an important opportunity for the visitors to respond.
India, meanwhile, will be delighted with almost every aspect of the opening match. Naman Dhir made an impressive international debut, the bowling unit produced regular breakthroughs and the batting attack finished the chase with plenty of time to spare.
Most importantly, their captain has started the series in sensational form.
What makes Shreyas Iyer’s innings special?
There is a tendency in T20 cricket to judge an innings simply by the final score, but Iyer’s 102* was impressive for several reasons.
He scored at a strike rate of 237.21, hit six sixes and ten fours, and reached three figures before the end of the 15th over.
His century also came while India were chasing, which adds another layer to the achievement.
In fact, Iyer now has three T20I centuries in successful Indian run-chases on the list alongside some of India’s biggest T20 batting performances. Suryakumar Yadav’s 117 against England remains the highest, followed by KL Rahul’s 110* against West Indies, Iyer’s 102*, KL Rahul’s 101* against England and Rohit Sharma’s 100* against England.
The latest innings therefore places Iyer firmly among India’s most destructive T20I chase performers.
India will now look to carry this momentum into the next game, while West Indies will need a much sharper bowling performance if they are to level the series.
For now, though, this was India’s night.
Shreyas Iyer provided the fireworks, Ishan Kishan provided crucial support and Naman Dhir announced himself on the international stage. India beat West Indies in 1st T20 by eight wickets, and the hosts could hardly have asked for a better start to the series.
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