Shreyas Iyer thrilled after debut Test hundred: Could not have asked for a better fairytale

India batsman Shreyas Iyer said that he could not have asked for a better start to his Test career after hitting a hundred on debut on Day 2 of the ongoing match against New Zealand on Friday.

Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 105 as India posted 345 on the board after electing to bat first. Iyer became the 16th Indian to hit a century on Test debut and sixth batsman from the country to achieve the feat since 2000.

“It has always been a dream to play Test cricket and I’m really happy to score a century on debut, couldn’t have asked for a better fairytale,” Iyer told teammate Suryakumar Yadav on bcci.tv during a fun chat after the day’s play.

Surya then asked Iyer about his love-affair with the Green Park stadium in Kanpur where he has scored a ton of runs in his debut Ranji Trophy season for Mumbai. Incidentally, Iyer made his debut in the premier domestic tournament under Suryakumar Yadav.

IND vs NZ, 1st Test: Day 2 Highlights

“Kanpur stadium has been really lucky for me. My debut Ranji season was under Suryakumar’s captainship. I would like to thank him for backing me after my first 4 innings because I thought that I would be out of the team.

“It has been a lucky ground for me, I even scored 93 here in the IPL. It is one of the luckiest grounds I have played on,” Iyer said.

New Zealand posted a strong reply on Day 2, reaching 129 for no loss at stumps with Will Young (75*) and Tom Latham (50*) unbeaten at the crease, after bowling out India in the second session. The Blackcaps trail the hosts by 216 runs with all 10 wickets in hand.

“They got off to a good start obviously but it’s important for us to not leak runs because the cracks are opening up and it should get trickier tomorrow,” Iyer said on Star Sports after the day’s play.