India beat West Indies by 8 wickets in first T20I; Iyer hits maiden ton
Published: October 06, 2026 11:40 PM IST
India secured an eight-wicket victory in the opening T20I against West Indies in Lucknow.
Shreyas Iyer was the standout performer for India, scoring an unbeaten 102 off 42 balls, his maiden T20I century.
Despite a strong start from West Indies’ Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford, India’s bowlers, particularly debutant Naman Dhir, fought back effectively to restrict the visitors to 171.
India began their five-match T20I series against West Indies on a winning note, cruising to an eight-wicket victory in the opening game in Lucknow on Tuesday.
After restricting the West Indies to 171, India chased down the target in just 14.4 overs, with skipper Shreyas Iyer smashing an unbeaten 102 off 42 balls to register his maiden T20I century.
Iyer and Ishan Kishan (37 not out) put on an unbeaten 137-run partnership for the third wicket to take India comfortably across the line.
India had a shaky start to the chase, losing Abhishek Sharma (21) and Sanju Samson (11) inside the first four overs. But Iyer took charge soon after, finding boundaries all around the ground and accelerating rapidly.
He reached his century with a straight six off Roston Chase, completing the milestone in just 42 balls. Kishan provided solid support as India wrapped up the chase with 32 balls to spare.
Earlier, West Indies made a strong start after being asked to bat. Shai Hope struck four boundaries in the second over and went on to score 52 off 37 balls. Sherfane Rutherford added 56 off 34, including two sixes off Kuldeep Yadav and a flurry of boundaries against Axar Patel.
However, India fought back with regular wickets. Axar Patel dismissed Rovman Powell, while Kuldeep Yadav accounted for Roston Chase and later Rutherford.
Debutant Naman Dhir impressed with the ball, claiming three wickets for 31 runs. He dismissed Hope, Romario Shepherd and Shamar Springer to help India restrict the visitors to 171.
Axar finished with 2/26 and Kuldeep 2/33, while Arshdeep Singh took one wicket.