Shreyas Iyer produced one of the most explosive innings of his T20I career in Lucknow, turning a routine run chase into a record-filled spectacle. The Indian captain smashed an unbeaten 102 off just 43 balls as India defeated the West Indies by eight wickets in the first T20I.

Chasing 172 at the Ekana Stadium, India reached the target in only 14.4 overs, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. For Iyer, the match was even more special as his century helped him enter several elite record books.

50 in 28 balls, then another 50 in just 14

Iyer’s innings was a perfect example of calculated aggression.

The Indian captain initially took some time to settle before reaching his half-century in 28 deliveries, with eight boundaries helping him get there.

What happened next was spectacular.

Iyer completely shifted gears and smashed the next 50 runs in just 14 balls. He brought up his century in only 42 deliveries and finished unbeaten on 102 from 43 balls.

His innings included 10 fours and six sixes, as the West Indies attack struggled to contain him during the final phase of the chase.

Seventh Indian to score international centuries in all three formats

The Lucknow century also gave Iyer a major place in Indian cricket history.

He became only the seventh Indian men's international cricketer to score centuries in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.

The select group before him included Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Third Indian captain to hit a T20I century

Iyer also joined an exclusive group of Indian captains with a T20I century.

He became only the third Indian captain to score a hundred in men's T20Is, following Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav.

His 42-ball century also placed him among the fastest T20I centuries scored by captains of Full Member nations.

Fastest T20I centuries by Full Member captains

• Sikandar Raza – 33 balls vs Gambia, Nairobi, 2024

• Rohit Sharma – 35 balls vs Sri Lanka, Indore, 2017

• Harry Brook – 42 balls vs Sri Lanka, Southampton, 2026

• Shreyas Iyer – 42 balls vs West Indies, Lucknow, 2026

Iyer’s century therefore puts him level with Brook on the list, while only Raza and Rohit have reached the milestone faster among the names listed.

A rare century in a T20I chase

Iyer’s knock was also significant because scoring a century while chasing in T20Is is a relatively rare achievement for Indian batters.

His hundred put him among the Indian players to reach three figures during a successful T20I run chase.

He also joined Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as Indian batters who have scored T20I centuries against the West Indies.

Iyer joins India’s elite captaincy list

The century also strengthened Iyer’s record as an Indian T20I captain. With another 50-plus score to his name, he now has three such scores as captain.

He joins an elite group featuring Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav, who have dominated the list of Indian captains with the most 50-plus scores in T20Is.

Iyer’s Lucknow innings was therefore much more than just a match-winning hundred. Starting cautiously, accelerating at breathtaking speed and finishing with an unbeaten 102, he turned the first T20I into a personal record-breaking show and gave India a commanding start to the five-match series.