New Delhi: Shreyas Iyer, the newly appointed India captain, played a fighting unbeaten knock (80 off 49 balls) to help India post a competitive 158/7 after a top-order collapse in the 4th T20I against England in Bristol on Thursday. While the knock showcased Shreyas’s leadership and composure under pressure, it also etched his name into a unique bracket of Indian T20I cricket history.
Faced with a top-order collapse that saw India reeling at 48/3, Shreyas took matters into his own hands, anchoring the innings before going completely berserk in the death overs. His primary target was veteran England leg-spinner Adil Rashid. Iyer single-handedly took Rashid apart, plundering an astonishing 44 unbeaten runs off just 16 deliveries against him.
Joining The Elite Destruction Club
With his ruthless assault against Adil Rashid, Shreyas Iyer entered a unique historical list. This performance placed him third on the list of most runs scored by an Indian batter against a single bowler in a T20I innings, joining an elite group that already featured Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Most runs for an India batter against a bowler in T20I
- 45*(10) – Sanju Samson off Rishad Hossain, Hyderabad, 2024
- 44*(15) – Ruturaj Gaikwad off Aaron Hardie, Guwahati, 2023
- 44*(16) – Shreyas Iyer off Adil Rashid, Bristol, 2026
- 41*(12) – Suryakumar Yadav off Zak Foulkes, Raipur 2026
- 39*(14) – Suryakumar Yadav off Lockie Ferguson, Mount Maunganui, 2022
Iyer’s assault on Rashid – featuring clean striking, precise placement, and fearless intent – highlighted his ability to dominate high-quality spin even in challenging conditions. His overall innings included four fours and five sixes, blending anchor-like responsibility with explosive finishing.
A Captain’s Lone Fight
While Sanju Samson’s 2024 demolition of Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain remains the gold standard for efficiency (scoring at a strike rate of 450), Iyer’s onslaught carried monumental situational pressure.
England’s pace attack, led by Jofra Archer (2/20), had systematically dismantled India’s top order. Iyer had to carefully construct his innings before finding his matchup window against Rashid.
His late-innings flurry – which included 4 boundaries and 5 massive sixes overall – propelled India to a fighting 158/7 in 20 overs when a sub-130 score looked highly probable.
Bittersweet Milestone
Despite Shreyas Iyer’s individual heroics and his record-breaking feat against Adil Rashid, the milestone was ultimately shadowed by team disappointment. England’s batting unit chased down the 159-run target comfortably in just 13.5 overs, courtesy of an unbeaten onslaught by Harry Brook (79 not out) and Phil Salt (59 not out), sealing the 5-match bilateral series 3-0.
Reflecting on his historic feat after the match, a candid Iyer kept the focus entirely on the team’s collective growth:
“Definitely happy with my performance, but see, if it’s not on the winning cause, it just goes to the side. So disappointed on that aspect because whenever I play, I want to perform and see to it that my team wins. But unfortunately, today wasn’t that day. Definitely look forward in the next game,” said Shreyas.
Though the series is lost, Iyer’s tactical execution against one of the world’s best T20 spinners stands out as a defining blueprint for how he intends to lead India’s middle order moving forward.
