Shreyas Iyer makes history, becoming the first Indian captain to…

Indian captain Shreyas Iyer (ANI Photo) Indian skipper Shreyas Iyer etched his name in the record books during the rain-hit opening T20I against England in Durham, becoming the first Indian captain to register a half-century in T20Is on English soil.Iyer’s composed 68 off 48 balls was not only his first T20I fifty as Indian captain, but also the highest score by an Indian captain in a men’s T20I in England. In doing so, he surpassed Virat Kohli, whose unbeaten 47 against England in Cardiff in 2018 was the previous highest score by an Indian captain in the country.Iyer led a team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 0-2 series defeat against Ireland and produced a captaincy strike when India found themselves under early pressure. The visitors were reduced to 6/2 after losing both Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan in the opening two overs.While Abhishek Sharma struck for 59 off just 27 balls, Iyer took a more measured approach. The pair added 82 runs for the third wicket, rebuilding the innings before opening the attack. Iyer reached his fifty in 38 deliveries, showing patience early before accelerating with sharp boundaries and towering sixes over extra cover.His innings eventually ended on 68 after being trapped lbw by Saqib Mahmood, but by then India had laid a solid platform. A late unbeaten 42 from Shivam Dube powered the visitors to 189/7.Unfortunately, persistent rain meant that England never got the chance to start their chase as the match was called off during the innings break. Even so, Iyer’s historic knock offered a big positive for India ahead of the second T20I in Manchester as the skipper returned to form and added another milestone to his growing list of achievements.

Should Iyer be the permanent captain for the T20I format?

More than 3,000 users shared the opinion today

More than 5,000 users have already voted today

More than 3,000 users shared the opinion today

Share an opinion