One of the finest innings of Shreyas Iyer and Hetmyer

When you are short of runs in cricket, you try and play a few balls and make eye contact. West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer, for one, does not believe in that theory. The left-hander believes in taking shortcuts to find his batting rhythm as he plays a big shot in the first two-three balls he faces.

This is how it turned out on a furious turner in Chattogram in 2018. The southpaw went out to bat after the lunch break in the second innings of the first Test between Bangladesh and West Indies, in which his side were on 11. 4. Hetmyer’s reaction was Shakib Al Hasan’s third, fourth and fifth balls with two fours and a six.

The BCCI Announces India’s Domestic Season Schedule For 2022-23

Hetmyer’s mission was clear: to get back in his groove by playing a variety of shots. He cleared his front leg to hit Hardik Pandya and Avesh Khan multiple times through the on-side. When Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi were brought into the attack, they grounded their way of using the depth of the crease to take out the bridge. Hetmyer was eventually dismissed for 56 off 35 balls, but by then he had got his mojo back.