India vs New Zealand 2021: Shreyas Iyer becomes 16th Indian to score century on Test debut

Shreyas Iyer scored 105 off 171 balls, striking 13 fours and a couple of sixes during his brilliant effort. He was dismissed by Tim Southee.

India's Shreyas Iyer celebrates after completing a century on Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur. (Source: Twitter)

Mumbai batter Shreyas Iyer on Friday (November 26) became the 16th Indian batter to make a hundred on his Test debut, joining an illustrious list which includes the legendary Lala Amarnath, Gundappa Viswanath, and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly among others. The elegant right-hander, who hails from Mumbai’s Worli area, achieved the feat in the ongoing first Test against New Zealand on the second day of the match at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur.

Iyer scored 105 off 171 balls, striking 13 fours and a couple of sixes during his brilliant effort. He was dismissed by Tim Southee. He became the second batter after Viswanath to score a hundred on his Test debut at Kanpur. The 26-year-old is also the third Indian to score a hundred on debut against New Zealand.

The latest addition into the Centuries on debut for India club - @ShreyasIyer15 #TeamIndia #INDvNZ @Paytm pic.twitter.com/r9yl1kFjQa — BCCI (@BCCI) November 26, 2021

Arjan Kripal Singh, who achieved the feat in 1955, and Surinder Amarnath, who scored a hundred against the Black Caps on his debut in 1976, are the other two Indians to have achieved the same. Iyer is also the third Mumbai player after Rohit Sharma and Prithvi Shaw to slam a hundred on Test debut.

Centuries on Test debut by Indians:

1. Lala Amarnath v England 1933

2. Deepak Shodhan v Pakistan 1952

3 Arjan Kripal Singh v New Zealand 1955

4. Abbas Ali Baig v England 1959

5. Hanumant Singh v England 1964

6. G Vishwanath v Australia 1969

7. Surinder Amarnath v New Zealand 1976

8. Mohd Azharuddin England 1984

9. Pravin Amre v South Africa 1992

10 Sourav Ganguly v England 1996

11. Virender Sehwag v South Africa 2001

12. Suresh Raina v Sri Lanka 2010

13. Shikhar Dhawan v Australia 2013

14. Rohit Sharma v West Indies 2013

15. Prithvi Shaw v West Indies 2018

16. Shreyas Iyer v New Zealand 2021.

The right-handed batter walked in confidently and smashed two boundaries in Kyle Jamieson’s first over at Green Park, Kanpur on Friday. Shreyas then continued his fine form and brought up his maiden Test ton. “A debut to remember for @ShreyasIyer15 as he brings up his maiden Test century,” BCCI tweeted.

On Thursday, Shreyas received his Test cap from former skipper and legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar ahead of the first match against New Zealand.

Meanwhile, India lost Ravindra Jadeja in the first session on Day Two on Friday with the hosts reaching the score of 300 in the first innings. Earlier on Day One, Shreyas and Ravindra Jadeja registered half-centuries as India dominated on Thursday.

India ended Day One at 258/4 after being down to 154/4 in the second session.In the third and final session of Day One on Thursday, Shreyas and Jadeja ensured that India do not lose any more wickets before the close of play.

(with agencies inputs)