“50 on a wicket like this felt like a 100”: Shreyas Iyer explains why he celebrated 2nd Test half-century with gusto at Chinnaswamy Stadium

Shreyas Iyer: The Indian batter scored a quickfire second Test half-century at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium today.

India batter Shreyas Iyer has expressed disappointment at missing out on a second Test century but is happy that his second Test half-century powered the team to a respectable total on the first day of the first Test of the ongoing Sri Lanka’s tour of India in Bengaluru.

Coming in to bat at No. 6 in the 28th over, Iyer went all guns blazing against an inexperienced Sri Lankan spin-attack on a surface which turned from the first session itself.

As a result, the 27-year old player top-scored with his 92 (98) comprising of 10 fours and four sixes. An archetype impact-generating innings played a pivotal role in India scoring 252/10 in 59.1 overs.

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“Disappointed to miss out on the century but honestly very happy that the team reached a good total. That’s what matters,” Iyer told the reporters during a virtual press conference after play ended on Saturday.

Shreyas Iyer explains why he celebrated 2nd Test half-century with gusto

Iyer didn’t mince his words while labeling the pitch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium as “not that great”. A quintessential rank-turner, Bengaluru pitch is such that the match is highly likely to find a winner by Day 3. As many as 16 batters getting out in 89.1 overs on a Day 1 wicket is never a good indicator of the pitch.

While India batters Hanuma Vihari (31) and Virat Kohli (23) batted with caution, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant (39) hit seven boundaries at a strike rate of 150 to make the most of his time at a surface which was bound to throw an unplayable delivery at him.

That being said, Iyer batting at a strike rate of 93.87 for almost 100 deliveries on this surface was no less than a daddy hundred. It was due to the same reason that Iyer removed his helmet to acknowledge the spectators during his half-century celebrations.

Clarity in shreyas iyer’s foot work was the highlight of his inning. #brilliant

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) March 12, 2022

“The pitch is not that great. I was very nervous for the first five overs and talked to the coaches about my plans after the break. Very happy I could execute my plans. That 50 on a wicket like this felt like a 100. That’s why I celebrated the way I did,” Iyer said.

Known for his attacking instincts especially against the spinners, Iyer adopted a courageous approach throughout his knock to often step out of his crease in order to hit boundaries off spinners today.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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