Shreyas Iyer could hardly have picked a better time to rediscover his form. India’s T20I captain smashed a superb unbeaten 102 off just 43 balls against West Indies in Lucknow on Tuesday, powering his team to a comfortable nine-wicket victory and a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
India were chasing 172 and had slipped to 35/2. What followed was virtually a one-man show. Iyer tore into the West Indies attack, smashing 10 fours and six sixes, and took India across the finish line in just 15 overs.
It was Iyer’s maiden T20I century, and it came after a prolonged lean spell. He had failed to cross 30 in his previous 10 T20 innings, while his strike-rate had increasingly become a talking point. There was no such problem in Lucknow.
Iyer was aggressive from the outset, taking responsibility for the chase and making a target of 172 look remarkably modest. Of course, West Indies were far from their best. The conditions were good for batting, and they also put down a catch. But none of that should take away from what was an outstanding innings from Iyer.
The 31-year-old has faced plenty of criticism since taking over as India’s T20I captain from Suryakumar Yadav following India’s World Cup triumph. He subsequently oversaw series defeats in Ireland and England, and calls for his removal grew louder.
Even four days ago, despite leading India to an Asian Games gold medal, the criticism had not disappeared. But perhaps performances like this are the best answer.
Iyer has reminded everyone of what he is capable of when he gets going. More importantly, he has given India exactly what they would have wanted from their captain at the start of this series: a statement innings. One innings does not erase the questions surrounding him. But 102 not out off 43 balls is certainly a very good place to start.
