On October 6, 2026, Shreyas Iyer scored his first T20I century at Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow with an undefeated 102 off 43 balls in the opening Twenty20 International match against the West Indies. With 32 balls remaining, India won by eight wickets after chasing down a target of 172 in 14.4 overs.
Shreyas Iyer scored his first T20I century
After losing Abhishek Sharma for 21 and Sanju Samson for 11 in the opening overs, India was reduced to 35 for 2. After that, Shreyas Iyer joined Ishan Kishan, and together they scored 137 runs in the third wicket to end the game. On 27 balls, Kishan scored 37 not out. West Indies were bowled out in 19.1 overs after scoring 171.
Iyer had not scored a half-century in his previous ten Twenty20 International matches, so he entered the series under suspicion. His century on Tuesday effectively put an end to those queries. Additionally, the knock was the fastest Indian batter’s T20I century against the West Indies.
Aakash Chopra, a former India opener, responded to the criticism directed at Iyer prior to the series. Chopra admitted that viewers had questioned his own silence regarding Iyer’s low strike rate and recent inconsistency in Twenty20 Internationals.This knock was different from Sarpanch Sahab’s style of play. This was vicious. It was dominance. They were asking questions. “I don’t talk about Shreyas Iyer not scoring runs, lacking consistency, and having a low strike rate, so many viewers asked in the comments section when we did the preview yesterday,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
I think there might be some merit, but I think Shreyas Iyer is a pretty good guy and his name shouldn’t be discussed. He just confirmed that. One thing he has resolved is that people shouldn’t overreact or panic excessively. He continued, “Shreyas just demonstrated that someone deserves a little respect and a little longer rope if they have performed well in the past.
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Chopra emphasised the quality of Iyer’s batting across various parts of the ground, going beyond the runs and outcome. He noted how the India T20I captain was able to control both sides of the ground and cited Iyer’s body positioning as a particular strength during the innings.
His body positioning struck me as the most exquisite thing. In order to hit over cover, you must play on the off side and take the back foot slightly back. When you attempt to reach the leg side, you must then open your body.
He was outstanding in my opinion. The batting was excellent. He was hitting sixes everywhere and whenever he wanted. He struck over midwicket, down the ground, and over cover. Then he performed the delicate shots as well. He displayed fearlessness, boldness, and touch. Chopra continued, “It was a full bouquet of shots, temperament, and technique.”
