Shreyas Iyer who played a pivotal role in taking India’s total to 252 in the first innings of the second Test revealed how much the half-century on Day 1 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium against Sri Lanka meant to him.
Iyer scored 92 of 98 balls hitting 10 fours and four sixes on Saturday. “I personally felt that fifty was like a century. That’s why I celebrated like that. It was like a century feeling for me,” Shreyas Iyer said in the press conference after the end of the day’s play.
“You saw the players who defended the ball, there was a lot of chance of nicking, and there was variable bounce on that wicket. You can’t just play very negatively on that wicket and just keep defending the ball. You’ve got to have that positive intent when you step out on the field. The wicket is not that great. It’s obviously bowler-friendly,” he added.
Iyer further pointed out that he has no regrets after missing on Test ton, saying: “It is disappointing to miss out on a hundred, but by the end of it the team had got to a fighting total. So, I have no regrets. I play for the team.”
Sixteen wickets fell on an extraordinary opening day in Bengaluru as India took control of the Second Test against Sri Lanka. Shreyas Iyer top-scored with an attacking 92 as India raced to 252 all-out inside the first two sessions of the day-night match.
And India’s quick bowlers did the damage with the ball, tearing through the Sri Lankan top order as Jasprit Bumrah took 3/15 and Mohammad Shami 2/18. The visitors will resume on 86/6, still trailing by 166 runs.