Shreyas Iyer smashed a 42-ball century to seal victory

India extended their winning run in T20 international cricket to ten matches after thrashing West Indies by eight wickets in the series opener in Lucknow. Chasing 172 for victory, the home side wrapped up the contest in just 14.4 overs behind a blistering unbeaten century from captain Shreyas Iyer. Winning the toss and fielding first, the hosts relied on their spin attack to restrict the touring batters. Axar Patel shifted early momentum inside the powerplay with a double-wicket maiden, removing Kamil Pooran and Rovman Powell while Shimron Hetmyer was run out. Debutant spinner Naman Dhir produced an impactful spell under pressure, recovering from getting hit over the ropes to claim three key wickets, finishing with figures of 3 for 31. Despite fifties from Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford, West Indies were limited to 171.

Early setbacks tested the home side when openers Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson fell inside four overs. Iyer stepped in alongside Ishan Kishan to steady the innings before completely dismantling the visiting bowling unit. The Indian skipper took 24 runs off Matthew Forde in the 14th over, striking six sixes across an 18-ball burst. He raced to his maiden international T20 hundred off just 42 deliveries, finishing unbeaten on 102 alongside Kishan, who contributed a composed 37 not out.

Spin control remains a decisive tactical weapon across Indian venues, and Lucknow once again highlighted the batting depth of the national squad. With this commanding display, India established a 1-0 advantage in the bilateral series.