Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 102 off 43 balls lifted off his first T20I century and make it an easy match. After a shaky start, West Indies had recovered to post 171 with two half-centuries off the barre of Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford, but bowlers’ dominance of the visitors prevented them from getting any momentum going that could’ve helped them make significant strides before Iyer joined the fray and had his way with the visitors.

India have extended their T20I winning streak to 10 matches with the win and clinched the five-match series 1-0 at the table. Openers Naman Dhir and the three other spinners imposed a repercussion on West Indies, who took eight wickets in the match, with Naman Dhir, who pitched his first match, picking up three wickets in his first two overs. But the greatest moment of the evening was when the bat came out and Iyer bowled out scoring a crackling finish that gave a taste of the type of potential threat West Indies could face in his future.

The chances were given to West Indies to bat first and they made a nice start with Hope continuing his impressive campaign against India in the ODI format. West Indies defended well in their first 13 overs, but were struck by hopes bowler (Hope) in the 2nd over who found 4 runs on the second ball and also helped West Indies to build a base of 21. Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel immediately got to work for India with good wicket-taking work and defended very well, keeping the scoreline low.

Arshdeep could also be relied on with what he had in his hands that he called yorkers, Axar had a cracking double wicket maiden in the powerplay. Kamil Pooran was bowled out on Arshdeep before Axar was clever to clear out Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell. But from 21 without loss, West Indies came down to 44 for 3 at the end of the PP phase and were headed down the road to a below-par score.

Hope and Rutherford then went on to rebuild the innings and give West Indies a much-needed second wind. Rutherford hit two sixes from one over to deny Kuldeep Yadav while the Windies also capitalised on an Axar over to score 18 runs. The visitors scored 44 off three balls in 11 overs and India looked to be under pressure for a total and lost the opportunity when Charlie Daniels bowled the same Daniel from 15 on 17 runs on the 130th over.India looked to be under pressure for a total with 100 off three balls in 11 overs, as the visitors put them on and Charlie Daniels dropped the same Daniel off his 1th 17 in the 130th over.

But it was Naman Dhir who turned the game around once again. The T20I debutant clattered Hope’s six early on in the innings, but he hit back straight away with a West Indies batsman being bundled. Dhir was very steady throughout his four overs, moving the ball and cleverly taking advantage of the bigger square out boundaries. He was also relieved to dump Romario Shepherd and Shamar Springer in the same way, retiring with his best of 3:31.

Rutherford was later to become the center of the West Indies bowling but it was not enough to add the necessary edge to the West Indies innings. West Indies’s entire run down for 171 in 19.1 overs was quickly and efficiently cut. India was still able to contain them and dangle their tail with wink after all wickets were dismissed. The target came out on a par with the standard and level of the Indian batting line-up and was, of course, attainable.

If it was not an unexpected opening of India’s chase, then it was its halfway kick-off. It was a slow start for India as its two top batters, Abhishek Sharma (36) and Sanju Samson (36), departed after just four overs. The hosts then had an opportunity to put pressure on the West Indies, especially as Lucknow had some help for the spinners.

That could not last long.

Ishan Kishan and Iyer took a positive stance to it. Kishan went on to lithe on Roston Chase and look after Shamar Joseph to regularly prowl the boundary. India had become 62 for 2 at the end of the powerplay, and the hunt seemed to be gaining momentum.

At 45th over Iyer came up with an off-spinner shot and took seven wickets in just 11 balls, putting him in 45 off 25, and putting Kishan on 25 off 16. The hosts had a strong advantage against their rival India as they were 70 runs short in the final 10 overs. The moment that followed was the iconic moment of the game.

Iyer did a brilliant job in the change of gear and totally dislodged the West Indies bowling attack. He himself went 6or6 to score 57 of the remaining Indian runs in the subsequent 18 deliveries. Matthew Forde was expensive, conceding 24 runs in the 14th over with Iyer hitting him multiple times over the boundary.

Kishan did a pretty decent job of holding station and when Iyer could not be on strike, he played an important supporting role. Iyer had the luxury to attack virtually every delivery, while the West Indians’ bowlers failed to get a reply as the Indian batter started picking up the tempo of his batting.

The 100 year marked his arrival in grand style as Iyer topped into his third century with another blistering six. His unbeaten 102 off 43 balls was a maiden T20I 100, amping up his tally of international scores to a worthy addition. Not only was it a significant innings but it was also an innings which was underpinned by doing exactly what he needed to do for India in their T20 cabinet India series, in particular.

Indian bowlers finally managed to get 172/2 in 14.4 overs thereafter with 32 deliveries to spare. This margin was described since it was a very real contrast between the two game innings. Westies started to fight back after their three early spinners, but India halted all efforts once Iyer got the feel.

The experience also showcased India’s depth in this format of cricketing. Giving in to early wickets didn’t worry the batting line up from their side as they had ample firepower in their middle order, and stern opposition in their bowling attack when West Indies threatened to come into play.

His unbeatable 102 was definitely a debut T20 abundance, and a match up that revolutionised the game of the T20. Iyer had provided the requisite of help to make any eventual chase a mammoth demolition in less than 11 overs as India went from 36/2 to a comfortable 146/1 victory.

But for Iyer, perhaps most of all there’s a personal learning point on his menu. The hole in which India captain has started the series is perfect, as it was with the maiden T20I century, unbeaten finish and the dominating win. With this type of form, West Indies may have a protracted series ahead of them, if he can continue the same in the games coming up.

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