IND vs NZ, Kanpur Test: Debutant Shreyas Iyer's father reveals secret move to remind his son of Test goal
Shreyas Iyer, who made his Test debut at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur, on Thursday (November 25) against New Zealand scored an unbeaten half-century (75*) on Day 1 of the first Test.
FollowShreyas Iyer, who made his Test debut for Team India today (November 25) against New Zealand in Kanpur, could not have written the script any better for himself. Having received his Test cap from the legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, Shreyas Iyer scored an unbeaten 75 on Day 1 of the 1st Test match against the Kiwis at the Green Park International Stadium.
Shreya's proud father, Santosh Iyer, could not hide his excitement seeing his son dawn the whites for the country in the most extended game format. Expressing delight over his son's dream Test debut, in an interview to Mid-Day, Santosh Iyer went on to say that Test cricket is real cricket and that he and his wife always wanted to see their son play in Tests.
Santosh Iyer also narrated an interesting story about keeping Shreyas' photograph holding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy as his WhatsApp DP to remind his son time and again that his ultimate goal should be to play Test cricket. The photograph taken in Dharamshala during Australia's 2017 tour to India has been Santosh Iyer's WhatsApp DP since then.
One may recall that India won the four-match home series against Australia in 2017 by a narrow margin of 2-1. Shreyas Iyer, who became India's 303rd Test cricketer today, was called into the squad for the final Test match after Virat Kohli suffered an injury. However, Iyer did not feature in the playing XI. Nevertheless, he was present with the team to celebrate India's win over the Aussies.
The tryst at Green Park Stadium, Kanpur, is not new for Shreyas Iyer. In 2019, he saved the Mumbai Ranji team with his gritty knock of 75 against the formidable Uttar Pradesh attack of Pravin Kumar, Ankit Rajpoot, and Piyush Chawal. Now Iyer got his Test cap at the same venue where he announced his arrival for the Red-ball cricket.
Also read: India vs New Zealand, Kanpur Test: Records scripted on Day 1 of 1st Test
Until today, Shreyas Iyer may not have played for India in whites, but the batter has been a regular name in India's limited-overs side for the last few years. The former Delhi Capitals captain has played 22 ODIs and 32 T20Is for the Men in Blue. He has so far scored 1393 runs at an average of 42.7 in ODIs and 27.6 in T20Is.
However, it has been a roller coaster ride for him. Shreyas Iyer suffered a shoulder dislocation on March 23, 2021, in an ODI against England in Pune. Iyer, who underwent surgery in the UK, also missed the first leg of this year's Indian Premier League. He went to rehabilitation and returned for the UAE leg of IPL 2021.
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