Shreyas Iyer (Photo Source: BCCI)

Shreyas Iyer has forced his way back into India's T20I squad, not only as a batter, but also as a captain, replacing Suryakumar Yadav. This was mainly down to his consistent performances in the Indian Premier League for the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Punjab Kings in recent seasons. 

Before making a comeback to the side, Iyer had played 51 times in the shortest format of the game. It is easy to forget that the right-handed batter had some outstanding innings with the bat, orchestrating memorable wins for the Men in Blue on home soil as well as abroad. 

Now that he is the captain and an important cog in India's T20 side, Iyer would want to have more stellar contributions with the bat to help his side prepare for the 2028 T20 World Cup. 

Here are the three best T20I knocks by Shreyas Iyer:  3. 68 vs England, 2026 Shreyas Iyer (Photo by Mark Fletcher/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The most recent innings will also hold significant importance for Iyer, as it was his first T20I half-century as India captain in the shortest format of the game. Playing against England at Chester-le-Street in Durham, the 31-year-old scored 68 from 47 balls. Striking at 144.68, he smashed six fours and one six to help his side reach 189 in the first innings. 

Though not the fastest T20 innings, it is always difficult to score runs quickly in English conditions, particularly when the weather is overcast, which aids the fast bowlers. The game, however, did not yield a result thanks to rain, but it was a crucial milestone in Iyer's T20I career.

2. 58 not out vs New Zealand, 2020

One of the more forgotten knocks, Iyer's aggressive half-century helped India chase down more than 200 runs against New Zealand in Auckland in 2020. The middle-order batter scored an unbeaten 58 off just 29 deliveries to take the Men in Blue home in the first T20I of the series. He hit five fours and three sixes to strike at 200 against quality bowlers, including Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner. 

Iyer was partnered brilliantly by KL Rahul, who himself scored a half-century. The current Punjab Kings skipper, however, was awarded Player of the Match for his match-winning contribution.

1. 74 not out vs Sri Lanka, 2022 Shreyas Iyer (Source: BCCI)

Iyer registered his highest score in T20I cricket against Sri Lanka in Dharamshala when he scored 74 not out from 44 balls to help India chase down 184 with more than two overs to spare. Coming in to bat at the end of the first over of the run-chase after the side lost skipper Rohit Sharma early, he scored six fours and four maximums, striking at almost 170 under the Himalayan shadows to win Player of the Match.

Iyer, however, did not stop there. In the next game the following day, he smashed an unbeaten 73 to once again take home the Player of the Match accolade.