Shreyas Iyer smashed a stunning unbeaten 102 off 43 balls — his maiden T20I century — as India crushed West Indies by eight wickets in the first T20I of the five-match series at the BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday, 6 October 2026. Debutant Naman Dhir starred with the ball, claiming 3/31, as India bowled West Indies out for 171 and then chased down the target in just 14.4 overs.

Iyer's Historic Knock

Iyer's century off 42 balls is the second-fastest hundred against West Indies in T20Is, behind only Australia's Tim David, who reached the milestone in 37 balls in 2025. It is also the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian against West Indies, eclipsing KL Rahul's 46-ball effort in Lauderhill in 2016.

With this knock, Iyer became only the third Indian captain to score a T20I century in men's cricket, joining Rohit Sharma (three centuries) and Suryakumar Yadav (one). His 102 not out also surpassed his previous best T20I score of 80 not out against England in Bristol earlier in 2026.

India lost both openers early — Abhishek Sharma (21) and Sanju Samson (11) — but Iyer took control and received a rousing ovation from the Ekana crowd. He brought up his 11th T20I fifty off just 28 balls, only his second fifty since inheriting the captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav.

Kishan's Support and the Match-Winning Stand

Ishan Kishan contributed a crucial 37 off 27 balls, combining with Iyer in a 137-run partnership off 68 balls that effectively ended the contest. During the chase, Kishan also completed 3,000 runs in international cricket. India were 102/2 at the halfway mark, needing 70 from 60 balls — a target that became purely academic as Iyer shifted gears.

A potential turning point came when Matthew Forde dived forward at deep cover attempting a low catch off Iyer's clip to square leg. The on-field decision remained not out, and TV umpire Rohan Pandit upheld it on review after replays showed the ball grounding between Forde's fingers. The decision visibly frustrated West Indies head coach Daren Sammy in the dugout.

Dhir's Impressive Debut and India's Bowling Display

Naman Dhir's debut figures of 3/31 from four overs are the third-best bowling figures by an Indian spinner on T20I debut. He dismissed Shai Hope (52, caught by Axar Patel), Romario Shepherd (7), and Shamar Springer to keep West Indies in check through the middle overs.

Axar Patel returned 2/26 from 3.1 overs and delivered his sixth maiden over in T20Is, placing him behind only Jasprit Bumrah (13) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10) in that category. Kuldeep Yadav chipped in with 2/33 from four overs, while Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav took one wicket each.

West Indies' Batting Collapse

West Indies were rattled to 44/3 after six overs after losing Kamil Pooran (12), Shimron Hetmyer (run out for 5), and Rovman Powell (duck). Hope and Sherfane Rutherford steadied the innings with a 63-run partnership, but Hope fell for 52 immediately after reaching his 13th T20I fifty. Rutherford top-scored with a brisk 56 off 31 balls — his seventh T20I fifty — before being dismissed by Mayank.

Hetmyer's run-out moved him to the top of West Indies' all-time list for most run-outs in T20Is with seven, ahead of Andre Fletcher's six. Powell, meanwhile, has now been dismissed twice by Axar in T20 cricket, managing only 17 runs off 13 balls against him.

Series Outlook

India take a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, with the second match to follow. The comprehensive margin and the depth of performances — a debutant claiming three wickets, a captain posting the fastest Indian T20I hundred against West Indies — suggest this Indian side is operating in formidable form heading into the remainder of the series.

Brief scores: West Indies 171 all out in 19.1 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 56, Shai Hope 52; Naman Dhir 3-31, Axar Patel 2-26) lost to India 172/2 in 14.4 overs (Shreyas Iyer 102*, Ishan Kishan 37; Roston Chase 1-37) by eight wickets.