Shreyas Iyer breaks Virat Kohli record: India’s new T20I captain Shreyas Iyer answered his critics in style with a composed knock against England in the opening T20I at Durham.
Walking in after India suffered two early blows, Iyer steadied the innings before accelerating at the right time to help India post a competitive total. His innings not only rescued the visitors but also earned him a place in the record books.
Alongside the explosive Abhishek Sharma, Iyer stitched together a crucial partnership that shifted the momentum firmly in India’s favour after a disastrous start.
India elected to bat first but the innings got off to the worst possible start.
Sanju Samson was dismissed for just one after edging Saqib Mahmood to Tom Banton, while Ishan Kishan was run out without troubling the scorers following a mix-up with Abhishek Sharma. At 6/2, India were under pressure once again after their recent struggles in the Ireland series.
However, Abhishek and Iyer swiftly changed gear with positive strokeplay and astute running between the wickets. The duo added 82 runs for the third wicket in just over seven overs, put the pressure back to England.
While Abhishek was the aggressor, Iyer steadied the game and made sure India did not lose any further wickets during the rebuilding phase.
Abhishek Sharma once again showed his fearless approach, giving the England pace attack a torrid time.
He took apart Luke Wood and Saqib Mahmood with a series of boundaries before bringing up his half-century in only 20 deliveries.
The left-hander eventually scored 59 off just 24 balls, giving India the ideal platform before Sam Curran trapped him lbw.
His quickfire knock completely changed the momentum after India’s shaky beginning.
After Abhishek’s dismissal, Iyer took full control of the innings.
The India captain focused on rotating the strike while punishing loose deliveries. He reached his half-century in 38 balls before finishing with an impressive 68 off 47 deliveries, hitting six fours and one six.
The innings was his ninth T20I fifty and, more importantly, his first as India’s T20I captain.
The knock also helped Iyer script history. He became the first Indian captain to score a fifty-plus score in a T20I match in England.
In doing so, he surpassed Virat Kohli’s previous record. Kohli’s highest T20I score as India’s captain in England was 47, made against England in Cardiff in 2018.
India lost Tilak Varma for 13 and Iyer shortly after his half-century, but Shivam Dube ensured the innings finished strongly.
The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 42 from just 21 balls, adding valuable runs in the final overs with Harshit Rana, who contributed a handy 30.
Dube’s aggressive finish helped India reach 189/7 in 20 overs, giving the bowlers a strong total to defend under overcast conditions in Durham.
Chasing 190, England’s innings in the first T20I against India was delayed by rain.