IND vs WI: Shreyas Iyer produced a sensational batting display as India chased down 172 with ease to beat West Indies by eight wickets in the first T20I at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. The victory gave India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, India made early inroads as West Indies were reduced to 44/3 inside six overs. Shai Hope then steadied the innings with a fluent 52 off 37 balls, while Sherfane Rutherford provided the late acceleration with a powerful 56 off just 34 deliveries. Rutherford smashed six fours and three sixes as the visitors eventually reached 171 before being bowled out in 19.1 overs.
Naman Dhir made an immediate impact on his T20I debut, claiming three wickets for 31 runs, while Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav picked up two wickets apiece. Arshdeep Singh and Mayank Yadav also claimed one wicket each.
Iyer takes India home in stunning fashion
India’s chase began aggressively, with Abhishek Sharma smashing 21 off just 10 balls before Roston Chase dismissed him. Sanju Samson followed soon after for 11, leaving India 35/2 in the fourth over.
However, West Indies had little answer to what followed. Iyer took complete control of the chase, hammering an unbeaten 102 off only 43 balls. His blistering innings included 10 fours and six sixes and marked his maiden T20I century.
Ishan Kishan provided excellent support with an unbeaten 37 off 27 balls as the pair added 137 runs without further damage. India raced to 172/2 in just 14.4 overs, finishing the chase with 32 balls to spare. Iyer’s remarkable hundred overshadowed a competitive start from West Indies and ensured India began the T20I leg of the tour in emphatic fashion.
Brief Scores: West Indies 171 (Sherfane Rutherford 56, Shai Hope 52; Naman Dhir 3-31) lost to India 172/2 in 14.4 overs (Shreyas Iyer 102, Ishan Kishan 37) by 8 wickets.
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