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IND vs NZ: Shreyas Iyer slams century on Test debut, joins Ganguly, Sehwag and Rohit in elite list of Indian batters

Shreyas Iyer on Friday became the 16th Indian batter to score a century on Test debut, when he got to the three-figure mark against New Zealand in the first Test match at Kanpur. 

Updated on: Nov 26, 2021, 10:35:22 IST
By , New Delhi
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Shreyas Iyer on Friday became the 16th Indian batter to score a century on Test debut. Iyer, who was presented his maiden Test cap by Sunil Gavaskar on Day 1 of the Kanpur Test against New Zealand, started off his Test career in style, finishing the day on 75 not out. And early morning on Day 2, the 26-year-old batter knocked off 25 runs to join an elite list of Indian batters.

Shreyas Iyer acknowledges the crowd.  (BCCI)
Shreyas Iyer acknowledges the crowd.  (BCCI)

Among those to score a century on Test debut for India are Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Prithvi Shaw among many more. Before Iyer, Shaw was the last India batter to register a three-digit score in 2018, scoring 134 against West Indies.

Iyer began the day with a sumptuous flick off his pads for a four off Kyle Jamieson. Although Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed for his overnight score of 50, Iyer carried on, hitting a delightful cover drive to enter the 90s and struck another four off the next ball to move to 96. A couple of singles took him to 98 before Iyer tapped the ball on the off side to complete a double and take off his helmet.

Also Read | India vs New Zealand Live Score, 1st Test, Day 2

Iyer made his India debut in 2017, but has struggled to cement his place in the Playing XI. Having led Delhi Capitals to the final of IPL 2020 last year, scoring 519 runs, Iyer suffered an injury setback earlier this year when he dislocated his shoulder. The batter, after months of rehab returned to cricket during the IPL and showed decent form, scoring 175 runs from eight matches.

Later, Iyer was named in India’s T20 World Cup squad as a reserve, but drafted back into the main team during the three T20Is against New Zealand. His upward curve continued when he made his Test debut, before making the occasions even bigger with a stupendous century.

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