IND vs NZ 2021: The Standout Performer Was Shreyas Iyer, The Way He Absorbed Pressure In His First Test Match Itself – VVS Laxman

Former Indian cricketer VVS Laxman has named middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer as the standout performer of the two-match Test series between India and New Zealand which India won by 1-0.

Shreyas Iyer had an extraordinary Test debut as he achieved several big milestones in his first match against New Zealand at Green Park, Kanpur. Iyer smashed a century in the first innings of the match and he became the 16th Indian to achieve this milestone and in the second innings, he smashed a fifty to become the first-ever Indian cricketer to smash a century and a fifty on Test debut.

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He won the player of the match award for his sensational 105 and 65 runs and he became the 7th Indian to win the Player of the Match award on his Test debut. However, in the second Test against New Zealand at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai he was unable to score big and registered scores of 18 & 14.

Speaking on Star Sports, VVS Laxman lauded Iyer and said that he came out to bat in a difficult situation in the first Test and absorbed the pressure very well smashing a century and a fifty. He elaborated:

“The standout performer was Shreyas Iyer, the way he absorbed pressure in his first Test match itself. He came to bat in a difficult situation, four wickets had fallen, the way he paced his innings, he made a century in the first innings. The Indian team was again under pressure in the second innings, five wickets had fallen but he showed confidence in his natural game and made a half-century. So match-winning knocks in both innings.”

We Need To Keep In Mind That He Played First-class Cricket Two Years Back – VVS Laxman

Laxman highlighted that Iyer had to make a lot of changes in his mindset, techniques and approach in the debut game as he had not played first-class cricket for a very long time. He said:

“We need to keep in mind that he played first-class cricket two years back. That means he had not played red-ball cricket at all, was continuously playing white-ball cricket. So he made changes in his mindset, technique and approach.”

Laxman further added that Iyer played his natural aggressive game against spinner just like Mayank Agarwal played in the Mumbai Test. He said:

“The way Shreyas Iyer batted against the spinners, in this match we talked about Mayank Agarwal’s attacking nature, similarly Shreyas Iyer on debut, the way he used his feet and played his natural game. This becomes necessary, you have to replicate the technique and approach you have used in first-class cricket in international cricket as well.”

Also Read: The Ashes 2021-22: Tim Paine Has Great Experience, I Keep Learning Off Him- Pat Cummins

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