Shreyas Iyer hits maiden T20I century, sets captaincy record in India's win over West Indies

Shreyas Iyer scored his first century in Twenty20 internationals on October 6, 2026, as India beat West Indies by eight wickets in the opening match of a five-game series at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. CricToday, Aaj Tak, TheSportsTak and Sakshi Post all reported that Iyer finished unbeaten on 102 off 43 balls, with 10 fours and six sixes. The International Cricket Council's official website described the innings differently, saying his 'unbeaten 100 came off just 42 balls' and sealed the win; the ICC report did not state a separate final score.

West Indies were bowled out for 171 in 19.1 overs, with half-centuries from Shai Hope (52) and Sherfane Rutherford (56), according to TheSportsTak. India reached the target of 172 for the loss of two wickets in 14.4 overs, finishing with 32 balls to spare, as reported by TheSportsTak, Sakshi Post and the ICC.

How the century unfolded

Iyer, who came in after early wickets fell, built an unbroken 137-run stand for the third wicket with Ishan Kishan, who finished unbeaten on 37 off 27 balls, according to TheSportsTak and Sakshi Post.

The ICC's website reported that Iyer took 19 runs, including 16 from boundaries, off one over from West Indies bowler Romario Shepherd, and reached his century off his 42nd ball with a shot off Roston Chase. Aaj Tak separately reported that in the 14th over of the innings, Iyer hit three sixes and a four off a West Indies bowler to collect 24 runs.

Captaincy records

Multiple outlets reported that Iyer became the first Indian captain to score a T20I century while batting second in a run chase. The previous best for an Indian captain chasing a target was Virat Kohli's unbeaten 94 off 50 balls against West Indies in Hyderabad in 2019, according to Aaj Tak and CricToday. The ICC's website separately described the innings as the fourth-highest score by an Indian captain in T20I history overall.

Aaj Tak and Sakshi Post reported that Iyer became only the third Indian captain overall to score a T20I century, after Rohit Sharma, who has three such centuries, and Suryakumar Yadav, who scored one in December 2023.

CricToday reported that the global record for the highest score by a captain in a T20I run chase still belongs to Pakistan's Babar Azam, who made 122 not out off 59 balls against South Africa in 2021 — a mark the outlet said was later equalled by Singapore's Aritra Dutta against Japan in 2024. By this count, Iyer's 102 not out ranks seventh among captains' scores in T20I chases, Aaj Tak and CricToday both reported.

Centuries across all three formats

Telugu-language outlet Sakshi reported that the century made Iyer the seventh Indian men's player to score centuries in all three international formats — Tests, One Day Internationals and T20Is — joining Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Suresh Raina and Yashasvi Jaiswal on that list, according to the outlet's count.

Iyer's first international century came in a Test, on debut against New Zealand in Kanpur, reaching an unbeaten 100 off 157 balls on November 26, 2021 with 12 fours and two sixes before being dismissed for 105, according to Gulf News. He had already scored centuries in Tests and one-day internationals before Monday's T20I innings, according to Sakshi.

Background: a comeback as captain

Iyer was named India's T20I captain on June 6, 2026, for India's tour of England and Ireland and the Asian Games, taking over from Suryakumar Yadav, who had led India to the recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup title but was left out of the squads announced that day, the ICC's official website reported.

Before Monday's century, Iyer had gone without a half-century in his previous 10 T20I appearances since returning to the format, according to TheSportsTak.

What India's win means for the series

The eight-wicket victory gave India a 1-0 lead in the five-match T20I series against West Indies and extended India's winning streak in the format to 10 consecutive matches, according to the ICC's official website.