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Shreyas Iyer (Source-Twitter)
The Indian Cricket Team on Thursday became the first side to make it to the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023. The 33rd game of the tournament saw India beat Sri Lanka by a massive 302-run margin at the Wankhede Stadium. Shreyas Iyer played a huge role with the bat in India’s dominating performance on the field.
Kusal Mendis won the toss and chose to bowl first and it turned out to be a huge mistake. The India team scored 357 runs from their allotted 50 overs thanks to a trio of half-centuries from the Indian batting unit.
With the ball, it was Mohammed Shami who was the destroyer in chief as he picked 5/18 to record his best ODI figures. The 33-year-old also became the leading wicket-taker for India in ODI World Cup history.
Shreyas Iyer’s six leaves Yuzvendra Chahal and his wife scrambling for cover –
The 4th ball of the 36th over saw Kasun Rajitha bowling to Shreyas Iyer. The 28-year-old planted his leg across and smoked the ball down the ground for a huge six. The ball was measured to travel 106 meters which was the longest hit of the ODI World Cup 2023 tournament.
The previous best was by Glenn Maxwell who hit 104 meters versus the Netherlands in New Delhi. The massive six not only was the biggest of the tournament but it also went into the second tier of the stadium. Indian leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and his wife Dhanashree Varma had to move out of the way to avoid being hit by the ball.
Shreyas Iyer came to the crease at the fall of Shubman Gill for 92. The Indian opener went to upper-cut a ball from Dilshan Madushanka only to be caught by Kusal Mendis. After this wicket, India also lost former Indian skipper Virat Kohli for 88 when he also fell to Madushanka.
Just when it seemed the Indian team had lost its momentum, Shreyas Iyer combined forces with KL Rahul. The two added 60 runs for the 4th wicket in just 47 balls to give the momentum back to the Indian side.
The next stop for Shreyas Iyer is Kolkata which is where he plays his IPL cricket. Iyer along with the Indian team is set to take on South Africa in a key clash this Sunday. India is ranked number 1 while South Africa is in the 2nd spot in the table.