The India-New Zealand first Test match of the two-match series started on November 25 in Green Park, Kanpur, and saw two young men making their Test debuts for either team.
Rachin Ravindra for New Zealand and Shreyas Iyer for India made their first foray into the Test format for the respective teams, and Iyer had a great time in the middle as well.
Ajinkya Rahane, who is leading the Indian team in this match, won the toss and chose to bat first. Though Kyle Jamieson removed Mayank Agarwal for 13 runs, Shubman Gill (50) and Cheteshwar Pujara (26) added 61 runs for the second wicket.
IND v NZ 2021: Laxman questions Rahane's shot selection after he chops the ball onto his stumps
Then Pujara was dismissed by Tim Southee and Jamieson accounted for Gill. Ajinkya Rahane concentrated hard for his 35 runs, but everything was undone when he chopped a wide ball onto his stumps.
However, Shreyas Iyer and Ravindra Jadeja then came together and added 113* runs for the fifth wicket. At the end of day one, Iyer remained unbeaten on 75, while Jadeja made 50* as India amassed 258/4.
Kyle Jamieson with 3/47 was the pick of New Zealand bowlers, as their spinners failed to pick a single wicket to fall.
Meanwhile, Shreyas Iyer was in good form hitting 7 fours and 2 sixes in his 136-ball stay. Though fidgety at the start, Iyer soon settled down and played both spin and pace with ease, building an important partnership with Jadeja.
His efforts were praised by his teammates, as Rohit Sharma tweeted, “Good start to the test career @ShreyasIyer15”
Apart from Rohit, Iyer’s Delhi Capitals teammate Shikhar Dhawan also lauded his debut innings, tweeting, “Congratulations on your Test debut and half century @ShreyasIyer15 ???? All the hard work you’ve put in has paid off bro”
