Picture Credit: Twitter
Playing Test cricket for the country is quite often the ultimate dream of an aspiring cricketer and it was a dream come true for Shreyas Iyer who became the 303rd Test player from India. Although it was already confirmed that Shreyas would make his Test debut by stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane on the eve of the Test, he received his cap from the legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar who was there at the venue as a commentator.
The video of Shreyas receiving his Test cap has been shared by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Gavaskar seemed to be giving a small pep talk before handing over the cap to Shreyas who kissed it before putting it on.
"? A moment to cherish for @ShreyasIyer15 as he receives his #TeamIndia Test cap from Sunil Gavaskar - one of the best to have ever graced the game. ? ? #INDvNZ @Paytm," the video was captioned.
Check out the video here:
Iyer averages 52.18 in first-class cricket with a superb strike rate of 81.54 and if he can replicate similar success in Test match cricket, then it would definitely strengthen the Indian side who have been a little vulnerable lately with their batting. The Mumbai batter gets this opportunity with several of India's senior batters missing. Notably, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul- are all unavailable for selection at Kanpur.
Meanwhile, after winning the toss, stand-in India skipper Rahane opted to bat first.
"Looking to bat first. Pitch looks really good. Generally slows down later on here. It's an opportunity for all of us here to do well here and in Mumbai. Few of the senior guys are missing. So it's an opportunity for the youngsters," he said at the toss.
"Shreyas is making his debut. We are all excited to play under the new coaching staff. I personally enjoy playing under Rahul bhai. New Zealand are a quality side. 3 spinners, 2 seamers," he added.
Meanwhile, there is a debutant in the New Zealand camp too with spinning all-rounder Rachin Ravindra playing his first Test.
"We would have batted first as well. But we got the ball in hand first, so it's important we get some early wickets. Looking forward to this challenge," New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said after the Kiwis were asked to bowl first.