Hosts India opened the five-match T20 series against the West Indies with a commanding eight-wicket victory at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. The win, which puts India 1-0 ahead in the series, was headlined by a spectacular unbeaten century from Shreyas Iyer and a clinical bowling performance by Naman Dhir.
After electing to field first, the Indian bowlers put early pressure on the tourists. Despite struggling early on and losing wickets at regular intervals after their first dismissal at 38, the West Indies managed to reach a total of 171 before being bowled out in 19.1 overs. The innings was bolstered by a explosive 56 off 34 balls from Sherfane Rutherford and a composed 52 off 37 deliveries from opener Shai Hope. Akeal Hosein also chipped in with a brief but effective 15-run contribution toward the end of the innings.
Naman Dhir emerged as the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking 3 wickets for 31 runs. Supporting him, Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel claimed two wickets each, while Arshdeep Singh accounted for one. Chasing a target of 172, India faced an early setback when openers Abhishek Sharma (21) and Sanju Samson (11) were dismissed within the powerplay. However, any hopes for a West Indies comeback were quickly extinguished by a dominant third-wicket partnership.
Shreyas Iyer led the charge with a blistering, unbeaten 102 off just 43 balls, an innings featuring 10 fours and 6 sixes. He was well supported by Ishan Kishan, who finished not out on 37 from 27 balls. Together, they steered India to 172-2 in just 14.4 overs. For the visitors, Akeal Hosein and Roston Chase claimed one wicket each. Iyer was deservedly named player of the match for his match-winning century, and both teams are scheduled to face each other again for the second T20I on October 9.
