India captain Shreyas Iyer scored an unbeaten 102 off 43 balls in the first T20I against West Indies in Lucknow on October 6, 2026, guiding India to an 8-wicket win. Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar praised the innings, noting it addressed questions about Iyer's recent batting form and extended India's winning run in T20Is to 10 matches.
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Shreyas Iyer struck his first T20 international century when India faced West Indies at Lucknow on 6 October 2026. Finishing on 102 not out from 43 deliveries, the India captain guided his side to a target of 172 with eight wickets in hand.
Iyer struck 10 boundaries and six sixes during his knock, with India reaching the 171-run target set by West Indies in just under 15 overs. His strokeplay drew attention throughout, with an uppercut against Romario Shepherd standing out as a notable moment at the crease.
Arriving at the fifty-run mark off 28 deliveries, Iyer logged his 11th half-century across T20 internationals — a milestone that had not come in the previous nine outings. Picking up pace at that stage, he scored 52 runs from 15 deliveries to reach three figures. During the 14th over, Forde conceded a boundary and three sixes to Iyer's hitting.
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar offered a favourable assessment of how Iyer batted and carried himself throughout the contest. Gavaskar described the innings as a polished effort, adding that the century carried added weight given the scrutiny over Iyer's batting that had accompanied his appointment as T20I captain.
Gavaskar noted that Shreyas Iyer's batting returns had been below par during his tenure leading the Indian T20I side. Questions about the captain's batting form had been building in analyst circles and across online platforms, even as the team continued to win.
Gavaskar pointed to the value of Iyer putting together a substantial innings, noting that his output over recent outings had drawn scrutiny. He also raised the matter of Iyer's batting output at an individual level — a thread of uncertainty that had persisted even as the team's winning run continued.
Iyer's capacity to read varied bowling attacks and convert that reading into clean stroke play drew praise from the former India captain. Gavaskar observed that Iyer took a firm grip on the run chase and built momentum through the middle overs, bringing up his half-century off 28 deliveries before accelerating at a pace that took him from 50 to 102 runs in just 15 more balls. Regardless of the line or length the West Indian bowlers chose to deliver, Iyer found a counter for each one, batting with a fluency that left the attack with no apparent answer.
Iyer's accelerating strokeplay through the middle overs steadily built the run tally, and that shift in scoring rate brought the target within his team's reach. Gavaskar noted that the innings pointed to Shreyas Iyer returning to the form that had defined him at his peak. Doubts about Iyer's batting form had circulated on social media, and the century appeared to address those concerns, according to Gavaskar.
A stand between Iyer and Ishan Kishan provided the runs needed to complete the chase. Kishan finished on 37 not out as the two batters put together a third-wicket partnership of 137 runs without either being dismissed.
Bowling first, India held West Indies to a total of 171, with Naman Dhir taking three wickets for 31 runs and Axar Patel claiming two wickets for 26. Shimron Rutherford contributed 56 from 34 deliveries and Shai Hope added a 37-ball half-century of 52 to the West Indies total.
Recorded across 42 deliveries, the innings placed Iyer fourth among Indian captains in Men's T20I batting history, while tying for third-fastest among captains representing full-member nations in the format, though how the century compares to other swift T20I innings by an Indian captain varies according to which statistical source is used, making any direct comparison contingent on the dataset applied.
The result extended India's T20I winning run to ten consecutive matches. The second match in the series is scheduled for Ranchi on 9 October, with the third fixture to follow in Indore on 11 October.