Shreyas Iyer played his last T20 international before the Ireland series back in December 2023. So, he was basically out of the scheme of the Indian T20I side for almost two and a half years. Then, he was straightaway made captain of the best current T20 side in the world. He replaced a friend, a state teammate and a captain who never lost a T20I series/tournament as a leader. If that wasn’t enough, he was made captain of the defending T20 World Cup champions.
That’s no mean feat. Understandably, there would be pressure. A stunning series loss to Ireland only made matters worse for Iyer, who failed to score in his maiden series as captain. Iyer was again the centre of criticism. Not playing exciting Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was also a thing to ponder over. All eyes, then, definitely were on him come the first T20I against England. Thankfully, Iyer has showed up.
Shreyas Iyer settles in with much-needed fifty
In the opening T20 international in Durham, Iyer repaid the faith shown in him. He batted like a senior batter; he batted like a captain. Iyer’s strength isn’t just dominating middle overs but can be a perfect option to arrest a slide. That’s what he did on Wednesday as he came out to bat when India were in massive trouble – at 6/2 after two overs.
Although Abhishek Sharma was menacing from one end, Iyer held his own and was accumulating runs. Although he did smash some great insideout strokes early on, you could say that he was a bit slow, scoring 39 off his first 30 balls. But the thing is that you can’t critcise Iyer based on that.
The pitch, first of all, wasn’t a belter. Abhishek surely managed to hit a fiery fifty; other batters initially struggled. It is not an Indian pitch where you can hit through the line, trusting the bounce. In England, you often see the ball moving just a bit, with the surface helping pacers throughout. Secondly, Iyer hasn’t been playing in this Indian T20I side for months. He knew he needed runs under his belt and wanted to bat for long. He semi-anchored a bit before trying to slog later.
| Bowling Type | Runs | Balls | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pace | 31 | 19 | 163.15 |
| Spin | 37 | 28 | 132.14 |
| Total | 68 | 47 | 144.68 |
Iyer smashes record in IND vs ENG 1st T20I
At a decent rate (in 38 balls), Shreyas Iyer completed his first fifty as an Indian T20I captain. He then pummelled 18 runs in his 8 balls, and was set for a rapid acceleration. He tried to go against Saqib Mahmood but was dismissed after trying to do too much against the pacer.
Nonetheless, it was a much-needed innings by Iyer, who required some confidence going deep into this series. En route to his 68, Iyer has become the first Indian captain ever to score a T20I fifty on English soil. The previous highest was Virat Kohli’s 47 in Cardiff back in 2018. Interestingly, this was Iyer’s second white-ball knock in England as well. He is yet to bat in ODIs in this country.
Highest T20I score by Indian captain in England
| Player | Score | Strike Rate | Opposition | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shreyas Iyer | 68 (47) | 144.68 | England | Chester-le-Street | Jul 1, 2026 |
| Virat Kohli | 47 (38) | 123.68 | England | Cardiff | Jul 6, 2018 |
| Virat Kohli | 43 (29) | 148.27 | England | Bristol | Jul 8, 2018 |
| Rohit Sharma | 31 (20) | 155.00 | England | Birmingham | Jul 9, 2022 |
| MS Dhoni | 30* (20) | 150.00 | England | Lord’s | Jun 14, 2009 |
Cricket
IND vs ENG: Shreyas Iyer & Gautam Gambhir's mismanagement of Tilak Varma continues
