Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul and Rishabh Pant were not four experienced batsmen in India’s squad for the first Test against New Zealand in Kanpur today. However, just before the start of the match, India’s acting captain Ajinkya Rahane said that his team will miss these four. However, he is not too worried. Because the Indian team has enough batsmen to fill their gaps.
Rahane also saw the Kanpur Test as a great opportunity for youngsters to prove themselves. But after winning the toss and choosing to bat, opener Mayank Agarwal could not repay Rahane’s hopes. He was dismissed for just 13 runs in 21 overs. India lost 4 wickets for 145 runs at a time. In this situation of the team, Shreyas Iyer reciprocated Rahane’s confidence. Iyer, who is playing his first Test for India, has teamed up with Rabindra Jadeja to save the team from danger. And he ended the day by waiting for a century in his debut Test.
India finished the first day’s play in Kanpur with 256 runs for 4 wickets. Iyer is on the wicket with 75 runs, his partner Jadeja is 50 runs. The duo are unbroken in the fifth wicket partnership with 113 runs. Iyer’s game was very calculating from the beginning. In his debut Test, he made fifty off 94 balls. He hit the ball to kill, he left the ball to leave. On the way to the fifth, he hit four sixes. In the unbeaten innings of 136 balls, he hit two sixes later.
At the other end, Jadeja made his 17th fifty in Test cricket. He hit four sixes in his unbeaten 50 off 100 balls. After making fifty, the Gujarat all-rounder celebrated by swinging the bat like a sword in his own style. There was a smile on the faces of the two Indian batsmen even after the day’s play ended a little earlier due to lack of light. The first day of the Kanpur Test was for India.
Before Iyer and Jadeja, Shubhaman Gill made fifty for India. He hit five fours and a six in his 52-run innings off 93 balls. Apart from this, Cheteshwar Pujara made 27 off 6 balls and captain Rahane made 35 off 63 balls.
Kyle Jamieson took 3 wickets for 47 runs for New Zealand. Tim Southee took 1 wicket with 43 runs.
