Kanpur Test: The way Shreyas Iyer handled pressure on debut shows his character, says VVS Laxman

Former India batter VVS Laxman on Thursday said he was impressed with Shreyas Iyer’s mental toughness apart from the obvious skill that was on display during his Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur. Laxman said Iyer showed grit and determination in the way he rescued India out of trouble with an unbeaten 75 on Day 1 of the 1st Test of a 2-match series.

Shreyas Iyer, who received the Test cap from Sunil Gavaskar on Thursday, went on to make merry as he hit 75 not out, smashing 7 boundaries and 2 sixes. Iyer stitched an unbeaten 115-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja for the 5th wicket as the duo helped India finish the opening day in a position of strength after big guns Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara suffered another failure.

India vs New Zealand, 1st Test Day 1: Highlights

Iyer took his time to get used to the sluggish condition at Green Park before taking the attack to the New Zealand spinners. Iyer played his natural aggressive game but he did not look reckless at any stage during his dominant knock on debut, according to Laxman.

“A lot of credit should be given to Shreyas Iyer for the simple fact that the last first-class game he played was almost 2 years back. The toughest challenge for any youngster is to shift the mindset from white-ball to red-ball cricket. He didn’t compromise on any aspect, he went out to play just like he plays for Mumbai or India A. The way he handled pressure shows his character. He has done that for Delhi Capitals, for India in white-ball cricket. It’s great news for India that a youngster seized the opportunity on his debut,” Laxman told Star Sports.

“He was not hesitant to play the big shots, his natural game. The way he played against the spinners, he is someone like Rohit Sharma who likes to take the aerial route. There is no harm in doing that even in red-ball cricket, you have to back yourself, you have back your strength and be careful.”

‘IYER’S CHARACTER WAS ON DISPLAY’

The former India batter said Iyer’s knock was in no way one-dimensional and his performance at No. 5 is good news for India.

“Someone like Shreyas Iyer, who likes to play aggressive cricket, those shots can be reckless, sometimes. There is a very fine line between being reckless and being aggressive. I thought he was aggressive. Whenever Jamieson or Southee bowled good deliveries, he respected them. It’s not that he played only dimensional cricket.

“More than his skill, his character was on display. He shows his mental toughness,” he added.

Doesn’t matter whether one hails from a T20 generation, what ultimately matters is sound temperament to succeed at highest level. Iyer proved that all those hard yards put in during Ranji Trophy and the 1000 plus runs season that he once had, haven’t gone in vain. It did help that he wasn’t just looking to survive but score as there were pull shots, lap scoops, drives down the ground and some imperious cut shots.