As he missed a straight delivery from Adam Zampa that scooted through on pitching, defeated his cut and crashed into the off-stump, Shreyas Iyer threw his head back in disappointment. Maybe a little disgust, too. He had put in all the hard yards, he had slipped nicely into the role of Virat Kohli’s ally, he had brought a slightly unsteady ship to an even keel, but there was plenty of work still to do. Iyer had good reason to feel disappointed, perhaps even disgusted with himself. Especially given his recent form.

There are batters who fire in fits and starts, unleashing one unforgettable innings now and then around a sea of middling efforts. And then there are those like Iyer, who hop on to a good thing and reel off a series of impressive scores, none stand-out on their own but collectively speaking to his consistency, to his versatility, to the value he brings to his side.