Shreyas Iyer on Saturday said he doesn’t regret missing out on a century as India sealed a pink-ball Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday with 92 runs. Iyer scored 92 to take India 1-0 up in the two-Test series at 86-4 all out for 252.
India’s bowlers bundled out Sri Lanka for 86 for six at stumps on the first day, still trailing the hosts by 166 runs. But it was Iyer’s second Test fifty in his fourth match that set the tone for India’s dominance.
Iyer, 27, told reporters, “I am disappointed that I missed out on a century, but if you look at it from the team’s point of view, we have reached a very fighting total.”
“And seriously I have no regrets. I thought fifty was like a century and the way I celebrated it was like the spirit of a century to me.”
Wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella, on 13, and Lasith Embuldeniya, on zero, were batting at the close of the game after pacer Jasprit Bumrah ended a gritty knock by Angelo Mathews.
Mathews fell for 43 to become Bumrah’s third wicket after Kusal Mendis and Lahiru Thirimanne.
Bumrah and Mohammed Shami combined reduced Sri Lanka to 28-4 as the pace duo swinged and seamed the pink ball in the final session under lights.
Shami bowled captain Dimuth Karunaratne for four and trapped Dhananjaya de Silva for 10 to raise the pitch of the weekend crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is running at full capacity as the home Covid threat threatens.
For India, Iyer stitched important partnerships, including a 40-run fifth-wicket partnership with Rishabh Pant, who scored 39 runs, to thwart the Sri Lankan spin attack.
Surprised Virat Kohli
Embuldeniya and fellow spinner Praveen Jayavikrama took three wickets each, while de Silva took two with his off-spin.
Left-handed Pant attempted to hit back after a top-order wobble as he hit seven fours in 26 balls before falling to Embuldeniya after tea.
Iyer, who survived dropping catches on 50 and 82, was eventually stumped on Jayavikrama, who took charge soon after and hit 10 fours and four sixes in his 98-ball knock.
Iyer said, “When I came out to bat, my plan was to reduce the spin, so I decided to get out (from the crease and the game).” “When you go out, you play with the bowler’s mind and spoil his line and length.”
Earlier, Virat Kohli scored 23 runs and added 47 runs for the third wicket with Hanuma Vihari as the pair tried to rebuild the innings at 29-2.
Jayavikrama broke the stand after sending Vihari back for 31 and in the next over, de Silva got Kohli out lbw to put India in trouble.
Kohli was given a rousing welcome by fans at the home stadium of the Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL team, but was stunned by his dismissal.
The star batsman last scored an international century in November 2019 in India’s first pink ball Test against Bangladesh.
publicized
Captain Rohit Sharma hit a six to signal his intention but fell to Embuldeniya for just 15 runs.
India have won their last two day-night Tests at home against Bangladesh and England last year. They lost to Australia in a floodlight test in Adelaide in 2020.
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