“The Way He Handled Pressure Shows His Character,” Wasim Jaffer and VVS Laxman Heap Praises on Shreyas Iyer

India’s swashbuckling middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer has hogged all the limelight in the cricket fraternity. The youngster made heads turn at the Green Park in Kanpur as he slammed a terrific hundred on his Test century. 

India is without the services of their main players including Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Rohit Sharma in their first Test against New Zealand. The absence of the senior players paved the way for Shreyas Iyer to make his much-awaited debut in the purest format.  Check this cricket prediction site and learn how to predict matches.

Iyer made the most out of the opportunity provided to him as he showed the signs of brilliance in his first innings. The batter flaunted his class and talent while hammering his maiden Test century. Iyer scored 105 runs off 171 deliveries to become the 16th Indian batter to score a century on Test debut.

The blistering performance by the Mumbai-born fetched him praises and applause from all over the cricket fraternity. Wasim Jaffer and VVS Laxman were among the first ones who heaped praises on the youngster and hailed him as the future of the Indian Test cricket team. 

Shreyas Iyer has got solid defense, there is no shortage of shots with him: Wasim Jaffer

Speaking about Iyer’s hundred, Jaffer exclaimed that he is happy seeing another Mumbai batter shine bright on the international stage. The cricketer seemed happy with the fact that Iyer played his natural game and didn’t try to change his stance. 

“Getting a century on Test debut, [you] can’t be happier. He just came out and played as he plays. Just because he was playing Test, just because it was his debut, he didn’t change his game. 

That’s the most important thing. That’s what I expected from him because even when he came in the Under1-9 side, or the Vijay Hazare Trophy, or the Ranji Trophy, he was never overawed by the occasion; he backed his game even then,” Jaffer told ESPNcricinfo.

When Jaffer was asked if Shreyas can be the next number five for India, the veteran counted the past big performances of Iyer. Wasim believes that Iyer has a lot of shots in his arsenal and he is confident about his game. 

“He has got solid defense, there is no shortage of shots with him. Whenever he has got an opportunity to score runs, he has got them. He has got runs at the first-class level; he has got a double-hundred against Australia in Board’s President Game. Iyer has got big hundreds, so it’s nothing new for him,” Jaffer added. 

More than his skill, Shreyas Iyer’s character was on display: VVS Laxman

Meanwhile, legendary Indian batsman VVS Laxman also seemed highly impressed with Shreyas Iyer. The veteran recalled the fact that Iyer played his last first-class match almost two years ago and since then he has only been playing white-ball cricket for India. 

“A lot of credit should be given to Shreyas Iyer for the simple fact that the last first-class game he played was almost 2 years back. The toughest challenge for any youngster is to shift the mindset from white-ball to red-ball cricket. 

He didn’t compromise on any aspect, he went out to play just like he plays for Mumbai or India A. The way he handled pressure shows his character. He has done that for Delhi Capitals, for India in white-ball cricket. It’s great news for India that a youngster seized the opportunity on his debut,” said Laxman while speaking to Star Sports.

Laxman believes that more than Iyer’s talent, it was his mental strength and conduct on the field that stole the show. VVS lauded Iyer for not losing his calm and playing sensible cricket. The veteran believes that there is a thin line between being reckless and aggressive. Here’s our latest free betting tips and guide. Read more here in our site.

“Someone like Shreyas Iyer, who likes to play aggressive cricket, those shots can be reckless, sometimes. There is a very fine line between being reckless and being aggressive. 

“I thought he was aggressive. Whenever Jamieson or Southee bowled good deliveries, he respected them. It’s not that he played only dimensional cricket,” he added. More than his skill, his character was on display. He shows his mental toughness,” VVS concluded.