IND vs NZ: Shreyas Iyer is all set to make his Test debut in Kanpur, confirms Ajinkya Rahane

In what can be called a major announcement, Shreyas Iyer is set to make his Test debut in the first Test against New Zealand at the Green Park in Kanpur. The encounter gets underway on Thursday (November 25) and Iyer, who has done pretty well in ODI and T20I cricket, would be raring to shine in whites as well. Meanwhile, the development was confirmed by none other than India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane in the pre-match press conference.

It has to be noted that many prominent Indian players are missing this series including Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. Worsening the case, KL Rahul got injured and ruled out on the eve of the contest. It has to be noted that regular captain Virat Kohli has been rested for the first Test and will return for the next fixture.

Shreyas Iyer likely to bat at number four in Virat Kohli’s absence

With so many places being vacant, the team management decided to give Shreyas Iyer a go in Kanpur. As Kohli won’t feature in this clash, the right-handed batter is all but likely to bat at the number four position unless and until Rahane promotes himself. In that case, Iyer would bat at number five.

Meanwhile, Iyer has been a prolific performer for his state team Mumbai in First-Class cricket. He averages 52.18 in the traditional format alongside maintaining a strike rate of 81.54. Hence, it would be interesting to see whether the 26-year-old replicates his heroics in national colours or not.

Meanwhile, Rahane also asserted that fact that tackling spin would be crucial for batters in the upcoming series. “When you play on spin friendly wickets it’s a challenge even for Indian batsmen so ya we will take it as a challenge and try to win every match we play,” said the veteran cricketer while addressing the media.

With Iyer all but likely to find a spot in the middle order, Shubman Gill is set to open alongside Mayank Agarwal. While Cheteshwar Pujara and skipper Rahane are certain to feature, there will be a toss-up to choose between KS Bharat and Wriddhiman Saha for the wicketkeeper’s slot. The home team is likely to go with three spinners and two pacers in these conditions.