India captain Shreyas Iyer produced a sensational batting display in Lucknow on Tuesday, smashing his maiden T20I century and rewriting a record that had long been associated with Virat Kohli.

Chasing 172 against the West Indies in the opening match of the five-game series, India were in early trouble at 35/2. Iyer, however, changed the complexion of the chase with a breathtaking counter-attack. He remained unbeaten on 102 from 43 deliveries, striking 10 fours and six sixes as India raced to victory in just 14.4 overs.

Iyer Goes Past Kohli's Record

Iyer's innings took him beyond Kohli's previous benchmark for the highest individual score by an Indian captain during a successful T20I chase.

Kohli had held the record since December 2019, when he smashed an unbeaten 94 against the West Indies. Iyer's 102 not out has now pushed that mark to second place.

The knock also made Iyer only the third Indian men's T20I captain to score a century, joining Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in the exclusive group.

Captain Leads From The Front

After India lost two early wickets, Iyer joined forces with Ishan Kishan to steady the innings before launching an all-out assault on the West Indies attack. The pair added an unbeaten 137-run partnership, taking India comfortably over the line with 32 balls remaining.

For Iyer, the landmark innings was especially meaningful. After the match, he revealed that he had actually visualised scoring his first T20I hundred before the game, and eventually turned that ambition into reality.

The emphatic win also gave India a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, with Iyer's record-breaking performance setting the tone for the campaign.