Indian captain: Shreyas Iyer added another milestone to his growing international career by crossing 5,000 international runs during the first T20I against England at the Riverside Ground on Wednesday. The sign came in a captain’s innings when India needed it. Walking out with the visitors trailing at 6/2 after the early dismissals of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan, Iyer anchored the innings with 68 from 47 balls, hitting six fours and a six to guide India to 189/7.
Shreyas Iyer’s International Career:
| Format: | Matches: | Running: | Average: | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests: | 14:00 | 811 | 36.86: | 1: | 5:00 |
| ODIs: | 79: | 3,035 | 45.98 | 5:00 | 23:00 |
| T20s: | 54: | 1,185 | 30.38: | 0: | 9:00 |
| Total: | 147: | 5,031 | 39.61: | 6:00 | 37: |
Iyer anchored India’s recovery
India’s innings got off to a disastrous start as Sanju Samson departed for one before Ishan Kishan was run out for a duck, leaving the visitors under immediate pressure. Abhishek Sharma then launched a blistering attack, racing to a 20-ball half-century before hammering 59 off just 24 deliveries. During his explosive knock, the left-hander also became the fastest batsman from an All Member nation to hit 100 T20I sixes, surpassing Evin Lewis’ record.After Abhishek’s dismissal, Iyer assumed complete control of the innings. The captain was rebuilt with: Tilak Varma before adding another valuable principle with: Shivam Dubeensuring that India kept the momentum going through the middle overs. Dube provided the impetus to finish with an unbeaten 42 off 21 balls, helping India post a competitive 189/7 despite England fighting back late on. Saqib Mahmoodwho returned the numbers on 3/33.Soon after the innings, the rain never stopped and played spoilsports to start the series and the match was abandoned because the cut off time was another 45 minutes or so after the first innings but they didn’t have enough time to prepare the ground, even though it stopped raining before.