Shreyas Iyer becomes 7th Indian to win man of the match award on Test debut in Kanpur

Shreyas Iyer on Monday added yet another feather to his Test cap as he became the seventh Indian player to win the Player of the Match award on debut in red-ball cricket. Iyer scored 105 and 65 runs to become the first Indian to hit a hundred and a fifty on Test debut as India and New Zealand played out a thrilling draw in Kanpur.

Iyer also became the 16th Indian to score a century in his debut Test and the sixth from the country to achieve the feat since 2000.

He joined Prithvi Shaw (vs West Indies in 2018), Rohit Sharma (vs West Indies in 2013), Shikhar Dhawan (vs Australia in 2013), Ravichandran Ashwin (vs West Indies in 2011), RP Singh (vs Pakistan in 2006) and Pravin Amre (vs South Africa in 1992) as the 7th Indian to bag the man of the match award on Test debut.

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Iyer was pleased as punch with his individual performance but was a little disappointed that he didn’t end up on the winning side even after his heroics with the bat.

“It’s a great feeling but winning the game would have been icing on the game. My mindset was to play the sessions and play as many balls as possible.

“People say I am a very flamboyant player but the situation required me to play longer. So I played for the time. I am really proud the way we came out from a difficult position. I am really happy with the overall performance of the team.

The 27-year-old garnered a lot of praise from coach Rahul Dravid for grabbing the opportunity to represent India in Test cricket with both hands.

“A young kid doing well in 1st Test for India and it’s not only a good reflection of that person (player) but also a good reflection of the system. Fact that we have been able to develop not just India A but also he has played for Mumbai, in club cricket,” Dravid said as he looked at the broader picture.

“Shreyas had to work very had and had to earn it. It wasn’t easy for him. Of course, he averages over 50 in first-class cricket but he hadn’t played first-class cricket played for 3 years.

“He wouldn’t have made the level if we haven’t had injuries and he has taken it (opportunity) with both hands and shown his qualities,” the new head coach said after the match.