On a personal front, India batter Shreyas Iyer was satisfied as he announced his arrival in Test cricket with a Player-of-the-Match performance against New Zealand at Green Kanpur, Kanpur.
However, Iyer was a tad disappointed as the first Test ended in a draw with Kiwi tail-enders displaying remarkable grit to deny the hosts a likely victory.
Shreyas was the top scorer for India in both innings on his Test debut. While the right-hander slammed 105 in the first essay, he scored 65 in the second dig.
"It's a great feeling, but would be the icing on the cake if we had won the game. You can see that the pitch is still intact. We bowled really well. The mindset was to play sessions and play as many balls as possible. People say I am a flamboyant player, don't curb my instincts, but I was just looking to play as many balls," Iyer said in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Reflecting on his crucial partnerships with R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha, Shreyas said: "Enjoyed batting with Ashwin and Saha. Happy with the overall performance of the team. The pressure is always there. They got off to a great start. Once we got a sniff and got quick wickets, we made the best use of the situation."
Coming to the match, New Zealand ended their second innings with 165/9 on the board. The duo of Ajaz Patel and Rachin Ravindra batted out almost 10 overs to eke out a draw for the visitors.
The second Test will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from December 3.
(With ANI inputs)
