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Shreyas Iyer continued from where he left and put India in a commanding position during their second innings on D♚ay 4 of the ongoing first Test against Nღew Zealand at Green Park in Kanpur.
After smashing a tremendous hundred in the first innings, Iyer hit a crucial half-century in the second essay to stabilise the Indian batting after Black Caps bowlers reduced the hosts at 51/5. Iyer top-scored with 65 off 125 balls with the help of eight boundaries before Tim Southee dismissed him.
After Iyer, it was wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha who took charge and put India in the driving seat. The right-handed batter remained unbeaten at 61 before India declared thei🦋r second innings for 234/7, giving New Zealand a target of 284 runs.
In the last session, captain Ajinkya Rahane gave the ball to his most successful spinners Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin, to get some breakthroughs. The move worked as Ashwin got rid of first-innings hero Will Young (2) before the match officials announced the stumps.
“We felt that 250, including the first-innings lead, would have been a good score, so we’re very happy with where we are now. Actually, not a lot was happening with the wicket today, the ball was keeping a bit low. The talk was to get to a competitive total, and I feel that it’s a really good total. We have real spin power, so hopefully, we can get the job done tomorrow,” said Iyer after the end of the fourth day’s play.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
Day 4 – Stumps
Let's Bowl-in some whistles for the final day 🥳 🦁💛
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL)
Two quality knocks under pressure from and t❀hat to on debut. Kee𒊎p it up👍
— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281)
This half-century by under such pressure and testing conditions, is as valuable as a test century! Terrific innings mate… Keep going! 🏏
— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj)
Hats off to Shreyas Iyer, what a wonderful 🍷Test debut this is. And he’s playing a mature knock his team needs right now. Extremely composed. Very well done!
— Chloe-Amanda Bailey (@ChloeAmandaB)
🉐A big Day 5 ahead i♊n Kanpur. 280 runs from here for a win after India declared late on Day 4. Scorecard |
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS)
Day 4, stumps: NZ – 4/1(4)
New Zealand need ✨280 runs to win on the final day while India need nine ♒wickets.— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
STUMPS! 🇳🇿: 4/1 (4) | Need 280 runs
A wicket to end Day 4️⃣ on a high note.
What result do you rec🥃kon this Test is heading to? ⤵️
📷 ICC
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders)
Stumps on day four in Kanpur 🏏
🇮🇳 or 🇳🇿𝓡, who are you backin𝔉g to clinch a victory on the final day? | |
— ICC (@ICC)
From being 51/5🏅 at one stage to finishing the innings on 234/7, 🇮🇳 showed resilienc♉e and fight to end Day 4️⃣ firmly in the driver’s seat.
Day 5️⃣ looks promising! 🙌🏻
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets)
And that's Stumps on Day 4. got to bowl four overs with a key breakthrough.
Scorecard –
— BCCI (@BCCI)
