Shreyas Iyer made his Test debut in the opening Test of the two-match series against New Zeland in Kanpur on Thursday (November 25). Iyer received his maiden Test cap from India cricket great Sunil Gavaskar.
The 26-year-old got an opportunity after KL Rahul got ruled out of the Test series due to injury. The likes of Virat Kohli (for the first Test), Rishabh Pant, and Rohit Sharma are already not available as they are rested.
After Gavaskar handed over the Test cap to Iyer, former Australia captain and Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said he deserved the opportunity having worked very hard in the last few years to fulfill his dreams.
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"Having seen all the work you've put in over the last few years, very well deserved and only the beginning for you mate. Proud of you Shreyas Iyer," tweeted Ponting quoting the BCCI video.
Dinesh Karthik said Iyer is lucky to get his Test cap from Gavaskar, one of the greatest Indian cricketers. He also mentioned the hard work of the Mumbai batter to reach here. "You're a blessed man @ShreyasIyer15 to be receiving this wonderful honour from one of the greatest cricketers India has ever seen.
"You've worked hard in first-class cricket and may you have a fabulous test career was well. Go well brother. ❤️❤️ #IndianCricketTeam," tweeted Karthik.
Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Pragyan Ojha also sent their best wishes to Iyer ahead of his debut Test.
