Shreyas Iyer becomes first Indian captain with this T20I record
What's the story
The 1st T20I between England and India at Chester-le-Street's Riverside Ground was washed out after the first innings. Electing to bat, the hosts racked up 189/7 in 20 overs. While Abhishek Sharma gave India a blazing start, Shreyas Iyer played a captain's knock. As per Cricbuzz, he became the first Indian captain to score a half-century in T20Is on English soil.
Match performance
Iyer's innings bolsters India
After the early dismissals of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, Abhishek scored a blistering half-century. With India reduced to 6/2, Abhishek and Iyer put up an impressive 82-run stand for the third wicket. Once Abhishek perished, Iyer kept his calm and was part of two quality stands. He ended up scoring 68 runs off 47 balls (6 fours and 1 six) before Saqib Mahmood dismissed him.
Information
Iyer surpasses Virat Kohli
As mentioned, Iyer is now the only Indian captain to have scored a T20I half-century in England. According to Cricbuzz, the previous highest T20I score by an Indian captain was 47 (Virat Kohli in Cardiff in 2018).
Do you know?
Who tops the overall list?
According to ESPNcricinfo, Australia's Steve Smith has the highest individual score for a captain in England (T20Is). He smashed a 53-ball 90 in the 2015 one-off T20I in Cardiff. This also happens to be Smith's highest score in the format.
Career
Iyer has over 1,100 T20I runs
Iyer, who recently made his T20I captaincy debut, recorded his ninth half-century in the format. In 54 matches (50 innings), the Indian batter now has 1,185 runs at an average of 30.38. His strike rate reads 135.89. In seven T20Is versus England, he has racked up 217 runs at an average of 43.4. He smashed his second fifty against England.