Shreyas Iyer stamped his class on the fourth day of the first Test between India and New Zealand as he pulled the hosts out of a deep hole with a fine knock of 65 runs in the second innings. India’s top order crumbled on the fourth day after the bowlers gave the hosts a handy 49-run lead, by dismissing New Zealand for 296 in the first innings. Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson left Ajinkya Rahane’s team tottering at 51/5 when Shreyas stitched an important 52-run stand with Ravichandran Ashwin to take India’s overall lead past the 150-run mark.
After Ashwin’s dismissal Shreyas kept playing sensibly alongside wicket-keeper batter Wriddhiman Saha. Once settled, both batsmen took calculated risks against the spinners to get crucial boundaries away. Shreyas reached his half-century to become the first Indian batter ever in the history of Test cricket to score a century and a fifty on debut. He had become the 16th Indian to slam a century on debut in the first innings.
Shreyas was eventually dismissed for 67 as he got a faint glove to a short ball from Southee which he was trying to pull. His 64-run stand with Saha took India past the overall lead of 200 runs.
With this knock Shreyas has made it difficult for the team management to decide whom to drop and whom to retain for the second Test match, when regular captain Virat Kohli returns.
