Indian captain Shreyas Iyer wrote his name in the record books during the rain-soaked opening T20I against England in Durham, becoming the first Indian captain to register a fifty in a T20I on English soil. Iyer’s 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 T20 tournament in England. Thus he won Virat Kohlihis 47 not out against England in Cardiff in 2018 was the highest by an Indian captain in the country. Leading a team looking to bounce back after a disappointing 0-2 defeat against Ireland, Iyer stepped in as captain as India struggled. The visitors were reduced to 6/2 after losing both Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan within two opening hours. When Abhishek Sharma Attacked with a blistering 59 off just 27 balls, Iyer adopted a measured approach. The pair added 82 runs for the third wicket, rebuilding the innings before going on the attack. Iyer reached his fifty in 38 runs, showing patience early on before running out with a crisp boundary and a big cover for six. His innings eventually ended on 68 after he was caught by Saqib Mahmood, but by then India had laid a solid platform. An unbeaten 42 from Shivam Dube gave the visitors 189/7. Unfortunately, persistent rain prevented England from getting a chance to chase, with the game abandoned at half-time. Even so, Iyer’s knock gave India a lot of positives ahead of the second T20I in Manchester, the skipper bounced back and added another milestone to his growing list of achievements.
