In November last year, when Shreyas Iyer marked his Test debut against New Zealand with a sparkling century at Green Park in Kanpur, GR Viswanath had waxed eloquent about the Mumbaikar’s temperament and skills. The great man was present at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday to witness first-hand another wonderful knock by Iyer on the opening day of the second Test against New Zealand.
The day-night game had piqued the interest of Bengalureans, who turned up in large numbers to see their side storm into the ascendancy on a day when the ball called the shots.
Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the dismissal of Sri Lanka’s Angelo Mathews; (right) Mohd Shami. Pics/PTI
Iyer’s brilliance and cameos from a couple of others were isolated examples of the bat holding its own as a dry surface ensured the game moved at a frenetic pace.
After Dimuth Karunaratne called wrong for the second game in a row, India weathered several storms to reach a respectable 252, thanks primarily to Iyer’s authoritative 92.
Bumrah, Shami strike
Having seen Sri Lanka’s spinners do the bulk of the damage in the first four hours—puffs of dust emanated from the track as early as in the fifth over of the game—Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami decided to exhibit their adaptability and versatility as they made the final session, played entirely under artificial lights, their very own.
Between them, the two pace virtuosos picked up five wickets to leave the visitors gasping at 86 for six, 166 behind and faced with a tall order over the next couple of days.
India’s batting effort was characterised by iffy shot-selection, perhaps catalysed by the sight of the tricks the ball started to play from the off. The bounce was uneven, the turn appreciable and had Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinners Lasith Embuldeniya and Praveen Jayawickrama bowled with greater control, there might have been a different tale to tell.
Instead, they erred liberally in length and Iyer latched on to the offerings gleefully, thankful too for the two lives that came his way.
Iyer, a treat to watch
Unlike some of his colleagues, the right-hander eschewed premeditation and treated every ball on its merit. His driving through the covers was a treat to the eyes and when he opened his shoulders and smacked the ball, it went the distance.
Support for him came during small but significant stands from Rishabh Pant, R Ashwin and Axar Patel, though it was Hanuma Vihari who had put on a lesson on how to bat on this surface with a composed 31 that promised much more.
Brief scores
India 252 (S Iyer 91, R Pant 39; L Embuldeniya 3-94, P Jayawickrama 3-81, D de Silva 2-32) v SL 86-6 (A Mathews 43; J Bumrah 3-15, M Shami 2-18)
