Iyer unleashed: Shreyas' 102 powers India to eight-wicket rout of West Indies

LUCKNOW: Captain Shreyas Iyer smashed a blistering unbeaten century as India cruised to an eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in the first T20I in Lucknow on Tuesday. Chasing 172 for victory, India raced to 172/2 in just 14.4 overs, with Iyer finishing unbeaten on 102 off 43 balls. His explosive innings, combined with a fluent 37 from Ishan Kishan, took the game away from the West Indies after India had lost two early wickets.

India's bowlers had earlier restricted the visitors to 171 all out in 19.1 overs after winning the toss and opting to field. Debutant Naman Dhir was the standout performer with the ball, claiming three wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel took two each.
West Indies captain Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford provided the bulk of the resistance with half-centuries. Hope scored 52, while Rutherford struck 56, but the rest of the batting line-up struggled to build on their contributions as India kept taking wickets at regular intervals.

India's chase got off to a shaky start as Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson departed early. Abhishek made a brisk 21 off 10 balls, while Samson was dismissed for 11 off nine. That, however, proved to be little more than a temporary setback. Ishan Kishan joined Iyer at the crease and the pair launched a counter-attack, rapidly turning the chase into a one-sided contest.

Iyer brought up his maiden T20I century from just 42 balls, registering the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian against the West Indies. He went on to finish with 102 not out from 43 balls, while Kishan remained unbeaten on 37 off 27.

The emphatic victory gives India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series and provides an ideal start to the T20I leg of the tour. The match was India's first T20I since their gold-medal triumph at the 2026 Asian Games. The team rested several established players for the series, while teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was also left out of the playing XI for the opener.