Ganguly said Iyer's “real test” will be in South Africa.
The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said that Shreyas Iyer’s real test would be to prove himself in the upcoming three-match Test series in South Africa, and he hopes that the batter will stand up and deliver in his maiden overseas examination.
Iyer made a stunning start to his Test career, scoring a century in his maiden Test innings and then hitting fifty in the second inning against New Zealand in Kanpur last month. The right-hander made an instant impact in Test cricket and Ganguly was extremely happy that he did well in his debut game.
The BCCI President further said that the 27-year-old didn’t do anything extraordinary; he just showed his talent and hopes that Iyer will repeat his performance against South Africa in the upcoming three-match Test series, starting on December 26 in Centurion.
Speaking with Boria Majumdar on ‘Backstage with Boria’, Ganguly said of Iyer: “I think he averages 50 in First-Class cricket for a long period of time. I saw his First-Class average, he was averaging 52 for a period of 10 years, and you can’t be ordinary to do that. At some stage, you need an opportunity to show your talent at the international level.”
He signed off by saying, “I am extremely happy that he did well in his first Test, but his real test will come when he goes to South Africa. When he goes to South Africa and England, with the pace and bounce, hopefully, he will stand up and deliver.”