India vs New Zealand: Shreyas Iyer to make Test debut in Kanpur, confirms captain Anjinkya Rahane

India’s stand-in captain Ajinkya Rahane confirmed on the eve of the first Test against New Zealand that Shreyas Iyer will be making his Test debut in Kanpur on Thursday. India begin the first of a 2-Test series against the Black Caps at the Green Park Stadium from November 25.

The opportunity for Shreyas Iyer comes as India have rested Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant for the 1st Test. Injury to KL Rahul earlier this week meant Shubman Gill, who was tipped for a middle-order role, is all set to pair with Mayank Agarwal at the top of the order.

“Shreyas Iyer is going to make his debut,” Ajinkya Rahane said while addressing the press in Kanpur on Wednesday.

Shreyas ier, who made his India debut back in 2017, has had to wait 4 years to get his Test cap. The 26-year-old, who plays for Mumbai, has a terrific first-class record — 4592 runs in 54 matches at an average of 52.18. Iyer has hit 12 first-class hundreds with his best score being 202 not out.

Suryakumar Yadav was added as a replacement to KL Rahul and it was expected that the Mumbai Indians batter would also be in contention for the middle-order spot but the opportunity has gone to Iyer, who was picked as part of the original squad for the 2-Test series.

Roller-coaster ride for Iyer

It’s been a roller-coaster ride for Iyer in competitive cricket over the last year. While Iyer led Delhi Capitals to the final of IPL 2020 in the UAE, he injured his shoulder during a home series against England and was out of competitive action for close to 6 months. Iyer did not travel to England for the away tour but returned to action during the 2nd leg of IPL 2021.

Iyer was replaced as Delhi Capitals captain by Rishabh Pant who continued to lead the team in the 2nd half of IPL 2021. The Mumbai batter also missed a berth in India’s T20 World Cup squad but returned to the senior national team for the recently-concluded T20I series against New Zealand.

Iyer will be hoping to make an early impression in his Test career, considering the competition for the middle-order roles. The Mumbai batter might have to make way for VIrat Kohli when the captain returns to lead the team in the 2nd Test, starting December 3 in Mumbai.