Team India wrapped up the first of their three-match ODI series against West Indies with a closely-fought three-run win at the Port of Spain, with the top-order batters shining for India. Among the many players who did well was Shreyas Iyer, who was given the number 3 spot in place of Virat Kohli, who has been rested for the ongoing limited-overs tour.
During this match, Iyer achieved a big feat while batting at number three, having come out to bat in the 25th innings of his 28th ODI match, he made it to a club owned by Kohli — the fastest to 1000 ODI runs.
Shreyas Iyer played an innings of 54 runs
Batting at number three after the dismissal of Shubman Gill (64 runs), Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan (97 runs) took charge of India's middle order. He finished with a score of 54 runs in 57 balls with two sixes and five fours to his name. His massive total helped India to a huge score of 308 runs.
His innings also saw Iyer complete his 1000 runs in ODI cricket, becoming the third batter after Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan to score 1000 or more runs within 25 innings. Iyer now has 1001 ODI runs.
Fastest Indian batters to score 1000 ODI runs:
24 innings - Virat Kohli
24 innings - Shikhar Dhawan
25 innings - Shreyas Iyer
25 innings - Navjot Sidhu
Recap of the match
To recap, chasing a target of 309 runs, West Indies fell only three runs shy of the target, scoring only 305 runs in their stipulated 50 for the loss of six wickets. Kyle Mayers scored 75 runs for West Indies, and Brandon King also scored 54 runs. On the other hand, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal and Shardul Thakur took two wickets each for India. It was an important win for India, who have now taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
The second match of the series will also be played in Port of Spain on Sunday, July 25. This will be the perfect chance for India to secure their second straight ODI victory, having beaten England the last time around.
