[Watch] Shreyas Iyer hits a six into the Chinnaswamy roof to bring up fifty; celebrates like a hundred
Shreyas Iyer launched a counter-attacking knock to help India cross the 200-run mark on a difficult Chinnaswamy wicket against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
On a wicket that turned square and stayed low from the first session, Iyer produced a masterclass of his own. The Mumbai batter, who is playing only his fourth Test match, played shots all round the mark. He also brought up a classic half-century, finishing on 92, that will go down as one of his best Test innings.
The 27-year-old reached his half-century with a towering six off Dhananjaya de Silva. Iyer came down the track and launched a big heave that hit the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
An ecstatic Iyer celebrated the feat by taking his helmet off as one does after reaching a century. While it was a fifty, it was no shorter than a hundred given the situation of the game and the condition of the wicket.
Watch the clip here:
https://t.co/gqbU6hwGwl
This is Iyer's second Test fifty in four matches. He also boasts a hundred that came in his debut Test against New Zealand in Kanpur.
Shreyas Iyer revives India after batting collapse
You can't bowl junk in the name of spin, even on a treacherous surface to Shreyas Iyer. For someone whose strength lies in smothering spin by hitting it purely through the line of the ball, there has to be a method as a bowler.
Nothing short of a masterclass this knock #INDvsSL
Opting to bat first, India lost openers Mayank Agarwal and Rohit Sharma early to reel at 29/2. Hanuma Vihari and Virat Kohli once again bailed the hosts out, adding 45 runs for the third wicket.
The wicket deteriorated as the game progressed as Sri Lanka got both set-batters out within a span of two overs. Rishabh Pant played his shots, scoring 39 off 26 balls, helping India cross the three-digit mark.
But once Pant got out, it was all Shreyas Iyer who did all the scoring. He hit boundaries at will and toiled with the spinners to accumulate quick runs with the turf getting poorer with each delivery.
India finally ended at 252 with Iyer striking an important 92 off 97 balls, including 10 boundaries and four sixes.