Captain Shreyas Iyer struck his maiden T20I century as India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first Twenty20 of their five-match series in Lucknow on Tuesday.
Chasing 172 for victory at the Ekana Stadium, India stumbled early before Iyer's unbeaten 102 off 43 balls — featuring ten fours and six sixes — carried the hosts home with 32 balls to spare. It was a captain's knock in every sense, finishing the match in a flurry of boundaries and earning him the Player of the Match award.
Abhishek Sharma had provided an early burst before Roston Chase dismissed him for 21 off ten balls, and Sanju Samson departed soon after to leave India at 35 for two. From there, Iyer and Ishan Kishan (37 off 27) took control, combining in an unbroken 137-run partnership off 67 deliveries to seal a comprehensive victory.
West Indies undone after bright start
Put in to bat, West Indies slipped to 44 for three in the powerplay after Arshdeep Singh removed Kamil Pooran for 12, with Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell also falling cheaply.
Opener Shai Hope rebuilt the innings with Sherfane Rutherford in a 63-run fourth-wicket stand, before debutant Naman Dhir dismissed the West Indies captain for 52 off 37 balls. Dhir and Kuldeep Yadav struck through the middle order as India tightened their grip, before Mayank Yadav dismissed Rutherford for 56 and Axar Patel cleaned up the tail. West Indies were bowled out for 171 on the first ball of the 20th over.
India's win was their tenth successive T20I victory and gave them a 1-0 lead in the series, with the second match scheduled in Ranchi on October 9.
Sources:
Reuters: India beat West Indies by eight wickets in first T20
Outlook India: India vs West Indies 1st T20I Highlights
Chasing 172 for victory at the Ekana Stadium, India stumbled early before Iyer's unbeaten 102 off 43 balls — featuring ten fours and six sixes — carried the hosts home with 32 balls to spare. It was a captain's knock in every sense, finishing the match in a flurry of boundaries and earning him the Player of the Match award.
Abhishek Sharma had provided an early burst before Roston Chase dismissed him for 21 off ten balls, and Sanju Samson departed soon after to leave India at 35 for two. From there, Iyer and Ishan Kishan (37 off 27) took control, combining in an unbroken 137-run partnership off 67 deliveries to seal a comprehensive victory.
West Indies undone after bright start
Put in to bat, West Indies slipped to 44 for three in the powerplay after Arshdeep Singh removed Kamil Pooran for 12, with Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell also falling cheaply.
Opener Shai Hope rebuilt the innings with Sherfane Rutherford in a 63-run fourth-wicket stand, before debutant Naman Dhir dismissed the West Indies captain for 52 off 37 balls. Dhir and Kuldeep Yadav struck through the middle order as India tightened their grip, before Mayank Yadav dismissed Rutherford for 56 and Axar Patel cleaned up the tail. West Indies were bowled out for 171 on the first ball of the 20th over.
India's win was their tenth successive T20I victory and gave them a 1-0 lead in the series, with the second match scheduled in Ranchi on October 9.
Sources:
Reuters: India beat West Indies by eight wickets in first T20
Outlook India: India vs West Indies 1st T20I Highlights
