Shreyas Iyer made his Test debut for the Indian cricket team earlier today during the first day of the first match of the ICC World Test Championship series between the Indian cricket team and the New Zealand cricket team. The right-handed batter performed brilliantly in first-class cricket and finally received his maiden Test cap at Green Park in Kanpur.
The Indian cricket team won the toss and elected to bat first in Kanpur. Shubman Gill provided the team a good start in the absence of regular opening batters Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul. Gill scored a fifty, while Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara got off to starts but could not convert it into big scores. Shreyas Iyer then came out in the middle and scored a half-century on his Test debut.
Not many fans would remember that Shreyas Iyer was with the Indian Test squad when the Indian cricket team beat the Australian cricket team in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2017 on home soil. At that time, a photo of Shreyas was clicked in whites holding the trophy. Since that date, Shreyas Iyer’s dad has kept that photo as his DP on Whatsapp.
In an interview with Mid-Day, Iyer’s dad Santhosh explained the reason why he did not change the DP on his Whatsapp. Here’s what Santhosh had to say:
“I have had this DP since then. I have never changed it because I always wanted to remind him that this [playing Test cricket] should be his ultimate goal. I am thrilled it’s finally happening.”
We always wanted him to play Test cricket: Shreyas Iyer’s dad
Shreyas Iyer has achieved a lot of success in the IPL and white-ball cricket for India. However, he had not played a single Test match for the Indian cricket team before today. Santhosh Iyer said that the family members always wanted Shreyas to play in Tests because it is ‘real cricket.’
“We always wanted him to play Test cricket. I have been telling Shreyas to try for a Test spot. He always used to say that it will happen. So, that’s what has happened now,” Santhosh concluded.
