India captain Shreyas Iyer joined Virat Kohli in the record books with a landmark innings during the fourth T20I against England in Bristol on Thursday, producing an unbeaten 80 that matched the highest score by an Indian captain against England in the format.
The innings not only anchored India's total but also equalled Kohli's unbeaten 80, recorded in Ahmedabad in 2021. In addition, Iyer became the first Indian captain to register multiple half-centuries in a bilateral T20I series against England, highlighting his consistency throughout the series.
Highest Individual Scores By An Indian Captain Vs England In T20Is
80 - Shreyas Iyer (2026)
80 - Virat Kohli (2021)
77 - Virat Kohli (2021)
73 - Virat Kohli (2021)
68 - Shreyas Iyer (2026)
Batting through the innings, Iyer struck four fours and five sixes while keeping India's innings afloat as wickets fell at the other end.
He shared a 53-run partnership with Shivam Dube (22), but with the middle order under constant pressure, Iyer was required to play the role of the anchor.
The India skipper accelerated in the 18th over, taking leg-spinner Adil Rashid apart for two sixes and a boundary in a 20-run over.
That late flourish stood out in an innings otherwise dominated by disciplined England bowling. Sam Curran gave away only four runs in the penultimate over, while England conceded just eight runs without allowing a boundary across the final two overs.
Jofra Archer finished with figures of 2/20 after claiming two wickets in the last over of the innings, including the run-out of Axar Patel.
England's fast bowlers had earlier exposed India's top order with sharp bounce. Archer dismissed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for 15 for the second successive innings, while Josh Tongue (2/36) removed Ishan Kishan (4) during the powerplay.
Leg-spinner Adil Rashid then struck with his first over, dismissing Abhishek Sharma (16) after the batter had settled in, leaving India struggling at 48 for 3 inside the opening seven overs.
Another batting collapse appeared imminent before Iyer assumed responsibility and rebuilt the innings.
From that point, Iyer and Shivam Dube, who had been promoted to No. 5 to counter England's spin attack, combined in a measured partnership to stabilise India's innings.
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