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IND vs SL: Shreyas Iyer becomes first Indian batter to achieve sensational Test record with twin fifties in Bengaluru
Iyer scored an extraordinary 92 in the first innings against Sri Lanka on a tricky Bengaluru track on Saturday and an evening later followed it up with a second half-century in the same Test.
Another home Test and Shreyas Iyer has been in sublime touch. He scored an extraordinary 92 in the first innings against Sri Lanka on a tricky Bengaluru track on Saturday and an evening later followed it up with a second half-century in the same Test. With the twin fifties, Iyer became the first Indian two achieve a sensational feat in Test cricket.
Iyer, who is playing his first Day-Night Test for India, managed to score half-centuries in both the innings of the Test and hence became the first Indian cricketer to do so.
Overall, he is the fourth cricketer to score fifty or more in both the innings after West Indies batter Darren Bravo (87 & 116 against Pakistan in Dubai, 2016), Australia's Steve Smith (130 & 63 against Pakistan in Brisbane, 2016) and Marnus Labuschagne, who is the only batter to do this twice in his career - 143 & 50 against New Zealand in 2019 Perth Test and 103 & 51 against England in Adelaide last year.
Iyer's 92 off 98 on Saturday had helped India to revive after a massive batting collapse to post a total of 252.
Although it seemed that Iyer had missed out on a well-deserved century, the youngster admitted that the score felt like a hundred.
"I personally felt that fifty was like a century. That's why I celebrated like that. It was like a century feeling for me.
"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."
The Indian bowling attack then bundled Sri Lanka for just 109, taking a 143-run lead in the first innings before taking the figure past 400 on Sunday.
