Indian captain Shreyas Iyer etched his name in the record books during the rain-fought T20I opener against England in Durham, becoming the first Indian captain to register a half-century in a T20I on English soil. Iyer’s 68-ball 48 was not only his first T20I fifty as India captain, but also the highest score by an Indian captain in a men’s T20I in England. By doing so, he overcame it Virat Kohliwhose unbeaten 47 against England in Cardiff in 2018 had been the previous highest score by an Indian captain in the country. Leading a team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 0-2 series defeat against Ireland, Iyer produced a captain’s stroke as India found themselves under early pressure. The visitors were reduced to 6/2 after losing both Saint Samson and Ishan Kishan Within the opening two overs. While Abhishek Sharma counter-attacked with a blistering 59 off just 27 balls, Iyer adopted a more measured approach. The pair added 82 runs for the third wicket, rebuilding the innings before launching the attack. Iyer reached his fifty in 38 deliveries, showing patience early on before accelerating with crisp boundaries and towering sixes over extra cover. His innings ended on 68 after he was trapped lbw by Saqib Mahmood, but by then India had laid a solid platform. A late unbeaten 42 from Shivam Dube powered the visitors to 189/7. Unfortunately, persistent rain meant that England never got the chance to start their chase, with the match abandoned during the innings break. Even so, Iyer’s historic knock offered a big positive for India ahead of the second T20I in Manchester, as the skipper returned to training and added another milestone to his growing list of achievements.