IND vs SL 2017 : Angelo Mathews reflects back at his maiden Test ton in India

Angelo Mathews cracked his maiden Test ton in India on Monday.

Angelo Mathews notched up his 8th Test hundred in Delhi | PTI

 Sri Lankan batsman Angelo Mathews, on Monday, cracked his first ever Test ton in India and helped his team reach a respectable score at the end of Day 3. It was his eighth Test ton and certainly one of the hard fought ones keeping the situation of the game in mind.

India currently lead the Test match by over 250 runs and is prettily placed to win the Test match and the series. Sri Lanka, who posted 373 runs on the board in their first innings, needs such performances from their batsmen like Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal in the second innings as well to help them avoid a possible whitewash.  Interestingly, Sri Lanka were whitewashed very much by the same Indian team when they played earlier this year down south. 

There were many talks about the Sri Lankan all-rounder’s form, but this knock by him now will certainly help him extend his Test career especially with the team lacking experience in the batting line up. 

While reflecting on his innings, the 30-year-old believes it was not the most fluent innings, but he is happy to contribute some runs to his team's cause.

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According to a report in Indian Express, Angelo Mathews said, “I thought it was not the most fluent innings. I had to work really hard against the number one team. But in the end, runs matter. I was hitting the ball, but I did not capitalize after getting to fifties. I told myself to carry on after getting fifty today.”

He also admitted that there is always the pressure on the batsmen to score runs, and he likes that challenge. Mathews said, “As a batsman, you are always under pressure and I like those challenges. I have played longer cricket and it didn’t bother me. Few more wickets in hand would have been ideal.”

Read More: West Indies set to host Sri Lanka for Tests in 2018

Former skipper also lauded current skipper Chandimal for his gritty knock. Mathews concluded by saying, “Chandimal was brilliant today and a captain’s knock from him. Little bit disappointed but we can still fight. It is a good wicket, taking a bit of turn and still good for batting. It will take more spin on the fourth and fifth day.”

 
 

By Rashmi Nanda - 05 Dec, 2017

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