Indian captain: Shreyas Iyer etched his name into the record books during the rain-hit opening T20I against England in Durham, becoming the first Indian captain to register a half-century in a T20I on English soil. Iyer’s composed 68 off 48 balls was not only his first T20I fifty as India’s captain but also the highest score by an Indian skipper in a men’s T20I in England. In doing so, he excelled Virat Kohli:whose unbeaten 47 against England in Cardiff in 2018 stands as the previous highest score by an Indian captain in the country. Leading a side looking to bounce back from a disappointing 0-2 series loss against Ireland, Iyer produced a knock on the captaincy when India found themselves under early pressure. The visitors are reduced to 6/2 after losing both Sanju Samson and: Ishan Kishan within the opening two overs. Meanwhile: Abhishek Sharma counter-attacked with a blistering 59 off just 27 balls, Iyer adopted a more measured approach. The pair added 82 runs for the third wicket, rebuilding the innings before launching the attack. Iyer reached his fifty in 38 deliveries, showing patience early on before accelerating with crisp boundaries and a towering six over extra cover. His innings finally ended on 68 after he was trapped lbw by Saqib Mahmood, but by then India had laid a solid platform. A late unbeaten 42 from Shivam Dube powered the visitors to 189/7. Unfortunately, persistent rain meant England had no chance to start their chase, with the match abandoned during the innings breaks. However, Iyer’s historic knock offers a major positive for India ahead of the second T20I in Manchester, as the captain returns to form and adds an important one to his growing list of achievements.