IND vs SL: 2nd Test – India move closer to clean sweep
Pacer Jasprit Bumrah’s fifer and wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant’s quickfire half-century headlined the second day of the Bengaluru Test match as the duo broke the legendary all-rounder Kapil Dev’s records.
Earlier Bumrah’s effort (5/24) bundled out Sri Lanka cheaply for just 109 with no other batter apart from Angelo Matthews being able to show any resistance. Mathews scored 45 runs off 85 deliveries. The hosts declared their second innings at 303/9 riding on Shreyas Iyer’s 67 runs from 87 balls and a 31-ball 50 from Pant to set the visitors a mammoth target of 447.
- Jasprit Bumrah’s fifer
Jasprit Bumrah’s five-wicket haul broke Sri Lanka’s backbone in the first innings as he finished with 5/24. Meanwhile, he also equaled Kapil Dev’s feat of registering eight fifers in 29 Tests. This was also Bumrah’s maiden five-wicket haul on Indian soil in red-ball cricket. The pace spearhead dismissed Kusal Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella and Lasith Embuldenya.
- Rishabh Pant’s fastest fifty by Indian Test batter
Rishabh Pant was in cruise control mode during India’s second innings as he scored 50 runs from only 31 balls before being dismissed by Praveen Jayawickrama. During his splendid knock, Pant also broke Kapil Dev’s 40-year-old record.
The southpaw scored his fifty off just 28 deliveries surpassing Dev’s previous best of 30 against arch-rivals Pakistan in 1982. At the same time, the Delhi cricketer also became the first player to score more than 30 runs in both innings of a Test with an outstanding strike rate of 150 or above.
- Virat Kohli fails to make it big:
The ongoing Test match has been a forgettable one for Virat Kohli the batter. After being given out lbw in the first innings for 23, Kohli could manage just 13 runs in the second before walking back to the pavilion after being dismissed in the same. As a result of this failure, his Test average also slipped below 50 for the first time since 2017.
- Shreyas Iyer’s twin fifties:
After his match-defining 92 in the first innings, middle-order sensation Shreyas Iyer once again made his presence felt by scoring 67 runs from 87 deliveries including nine boundaries. He was also involved in a 63-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja. Iyer’s brilliant innings helped India post 303/9 before they declared their innings.
