Shreyas Iyer turned a hectic travel schedule into a memorable night in Lucknow, smashing his maiden T20I century to guide India to a commanding eight-wicket victory over West Indies in the opening match of the five-game series. Despite returning from Japan after India’s Asian Games gold-medal triumph, Iyer and his teammates showed little sign of fatigue as they chased down 172 with ease.
Iyer remained unbeaten on 102, completing the chase in just 14.4 overs and putting India 1-0 ahead in the series. Speaking after the match, the India T20I captain admitted that the travel had been exhausting but insisted the team refused to use jet lag as an excuse. “After the exhausting travel, didn’t realise where I was,” Shreyas Iyer said. “Every day I need to wake up like this! Bowling first helped us a lot. We just didn’t look at jetlag as an excuse.”
The century was particularly special for Iyer, who admitted he had been thinking about reaching the milestone for some time. He also praised the atmosphere surrounding India’s recent ODI series against West Indies and said the team’s commitment to its process remained crucial.
“Exultant! Was thinking about my first century and dreams do come true,” Shreyas Iyer added. For Iyer, the victory was more important than his individual achievement. The India captain believes the team can become one of the most destructive sides in T20 cricket if they continue playing with the same mindset.
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“Winning tastes different. If it is your day, win the match for the team. Overall, it was a comprehensive performance. If we continue with the same mindset, we will be one of the most destructive teams in T20,” he said.
Another major positive for India was Naman Dhir’s impressive debut. The off-spin all-rounder claimed three wickets and played a key role in restricting West Indies to 171. Iyer was particularly impressed by Dhir’s confidence and willingness to bowl during crucial phases.
“Dhir wanted to bowl in crucial moments. Capitalised on the turn, I love his attitude,” Iyer said. West Indies had appeared on course for a competitive total after Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford put together a 63-run partnership from just 35 balls. Hope scored 52, while Rutherford top-scored with 56, but the visitors lost four wickets in a quick collapse towards the end and were bowled out for 171.
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Captain Shai Hope admitted West Indies failed to finish their innings strongly and felt the batting became too chaotic during the closing stages. “We didn’t get enough runs in the back end. We were too chaotic in batting. You’ve got to put runs on the board and defend with width in the outfield. We didn’t have enough against India,” Hope said.
He also highlighted the workload on West Indies’ two specialist spinners, suggesting Roston Chase needed to contribute more with the ball later in the innings.
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Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan revealed how he approached the chase alongside Shreyas Iyer. Recognising that his captain was timing the ball exceptionally well, Kishan deliberately looked to rotate the strike and give Iyer maximum opportunities to remain on strike. “He was in very good touch and, to be very honest, looking from the other end, I felt it’s better to keep him on strike and not let the momentum stop,” Kishan explained.
The wicketkeeper-batter admitted he was not timing the ball as well as Iyer and felt the best approach was to support his captain rather than interrupt his momentum. With Iyer in outstanding form and India starting the series with a comprehensive victory, the hosts will now look to carry the same intensity into the remaining T20Is.
