Shreyas Iyer created history during the first T20I against England on Wednesday by becoming the first Indian captain to score a half-century in a T20 International on English soil.

The India skipper reached the milestone in the 15th over with a single off Liam Dawson. It was his ninth fifty in T20Is and the first since taking over the captaincy. Iyer eventually scored 68 from 47 balls before Saqib Mahmood trapped him leg before wicket in the 18th over.

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With this knock, Iyer went past Virat Kohli's previous highest T20I score by an Indian captain in England. Kohli had made 47 against England in Cardiff in 2018. Iyer brought up his half-century in 39 deliveries, which was also the slowest fifty of his T20I career. Here is the tally

Batter Name Runs Ground Date
Shreyas Iyer 68 Chester-le-Street 1 July 2026
Virat Kohli 47 Cardiff 6 July 2018
Virat Kohli 43 Bristol 8 July 2018
Rohit Sharma 31 Birmingham 9 July 2022
MS Dhoni 30* Lord’s 14 June 2009

The overall record for the highest T20I score by a captain in England still belongs to former Australia skipper Steve Smith, who smashed 90 off 53 balls against England in Cardiff in 2015. Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle is next on the list with an 88 off 50 balls at The Oval in 2009.

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Batter Name Runs Ground Date
Steve Smith 90 Cardiff 31 Aug 2015
Chris Gayle 88 The Oval 6 Jun 2009
Babar Azam 85 Nottingham 16 Jul 2021
Aaron Finch 84 Birmingham 27 Jun 2018
Jos Buttler 84 Birmingham 25 May 2024
Paul Collingwood 79 The Oval 28 Jun 2007

How Iyer shifted the momentum of the game

Iyer came to the crease when India were in a spot of bother after losing two early wickets with only six runs on the board. Instead of taking unnecessary risks, he settled the innings by rotating the strike and building an important partnership with Abhishek Sharma.

As Abhishek played the attacking role, Iyer provided stability from the other end. Once he got set, the stylish Mumbai batter played some eye-catching shots, including a powerful pull off Adil Rashid and a clean six over extra cover.

His calm and well-paced innings helped India recover from an early collapse and guided the side to a competitive total of 189/7.

Iyer's record goes in vain

However, Iyer's memorable knock could not help India secure a win as persistent rain prevented England from beginning their chase. The first T20I was eventually called off without a result.