India will be taking on New Zealand in the opening Test in Kanpur on Thursday. Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer is all set to make his Test debut in the game.
India and New Zealand will face off in a two-Test series, starting Thursday. While the opening Test will be held at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, it is being reported that renowned batter Shreyas Iyer is all set to make his debut in the longest format tomorrow. As a result, he would become India's 303rd Test cricketer.
Stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane confirmed the same during the pre-match press conference on Wednesday. He decided it following wicketkeeper-opener KL Rahul's injury, who suffered a muscle strain on his left thigh on Tuesday, consequently being ruled out of the entire series, while Suryakumar Yadav replaced him. While Rahane is clear-haded on Iyer's debut, he has yet to decide if he would move in with an extra batter, considering that the side would be without Rahul, Virat Kohli, and Rohit Sharma.
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On Rahul's absence, Rahane said it was a big blow, considering that he did well in England and was in excellent form, playing the ball well. While he felt that Rahul would be missed, he thought that there were boys in the side capable of filling up for him, while some of them have previously performed for the team. Consequently, he was not too worried about it., reports ANI.
He also spoke about his form, as he stated, "l am not concerned about my form, I just think about contributing for the team, it is not always scoring a hundred. I always put the team first. I am very fortunate to lead the country. I am not bothered about what is going to happen. I am just focused on giving my best."