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Team India's Shreyas Iyer completed a fine high catch in the deep during the 32nd over of Sri Lanka's run chase in the ODI series opener on Tuesday, January 10.
Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga showcased great intent, smashing two sixes and a four in Yuzvendra Chahal's eighth over of the match. The swashbuckler perished on the sixth ball while attempting to clear the ropes on yet another occasion.
Hasaranga went for a slog but failed to get the desired connection. The ball went very high in the air, and Iyer was positioning himself under it. However, there seemed to be some sort of confusion as Umran Malik also ran towards the ball.
Iyer remained calm amidst all this, not taking his eyes off the ball. He was able to complete the catch despite the distraction to put an end to Hasaranga's entertaining cameo.
Watch the video of the catch below:
Notably, while Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka scored 72 off 80, the other top-order batters failed to score big. Chasing a daunting target of 374, the visitors needed their batters to up the ante right from the start.
Indian bowlers made it difficult for the opposition with their tidy spells. Mohammed Siraj dented Sri Lanka's chances of getting off to a flying start, picking up two early wickets. He received able support from Umran Malik, who too was very impressive.
Shreyas Iyer failed to convert his start into a big knock in the first ODI
Shreyas Iyer has showcased tremendous form in ODIs lately. While he looked in good touch in the first ODI against Sri Lanka, he was unable to convert his start into a big knock.
The right-handed batter scored 28 runs off 24 balls. He adopted a counter-attacking approach against the Sri Lankan spinners, dancing down the track regularly. His promising innings came to an end in the 30th over.
Iyer perished to Dhananjaya de Silva as his sweep shot went straight to the deep backward square leg fielder. The 28-year-old will be hoping to make amends by scoring big in the remaining two fixtures.
It is worth mentioning that Shreyas Iyer was India's leading run-getter in 2022. He finished with 1609 runs across all formats at an average of 48.75.
