IND v NZ 1st Test: Shreyas Iyer raises the bar higher

Indias new Test middleorder batsman Shreyas Iyer has been shouldering responsibilities right from his U19 days Hence his sparkling gritty performances in both innings of the ongoing Kanpur Test against the New Zealanders came as no surprise to those who have been associated with his careerIyer followed up his hundred in the first Test innings of his life with a 65 on Day Four of the opening game in Kanpur on Sunday On Friday Iyer 26 emulated his coach and former India batsman Pravin Amrersquos wish by registering a magnificent 105 Amre scored a Test debut hundred against South Africa at Durban in 1992Iyer rescued the hosts after Ajinkya Rahane amp Co were reeling at 515 His patient halfcentury helped India declare their second innings at 2347 setting the Kiwis a victory target of 284Rege delightedFormer Mumbai captain Milind Rege is delighted to see Iyer progressing on the Test ladder ldquoI first set sight on Shreyas from the balcony of my flat in Worli when he was around 15 and was playing for Worli SC against Payyade SC in the Purshottam Shield So I went to the Worli SC ground and watched him smash 165 against a tough side He was fearless and his confidence was simply greatrdquo said Rege 72 who was then Mumbairsquos chief selectorAmre who was Iyerrsquos coach at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana Academy and later during his stint with the Mumbai Ranji team remarked ldquoI know the feeling and pleasure of scoring a hundred on debut But I am more delighted for Shreyasrsquos centuryrdquoRege recalled how his Mumbai selection committee and then Mumbai coach Amre promoted Iyer to bat at No3 ldquoA great knock a real Test innings Credit to Shreyas obviously but also to his father Santosh his family and the people who made himmdashhis three coachesmdashAmre Chandu Pandit and Sulakshan Kulkarni They allowed him to bloom When Shreyas made his Mumbai debut he batted at No7 for a couple of games I told Pravin to send him up the order He readily agreed as he was a future Mumbai talentrdquo Rege saidIyer made his debut against Jammu and Kashmir in the 201415 Ranji Trophy season scoring seven and one at No7 Against Railways and Uttar Pradesh he scored 11 and 75 respectively When he got an opportunity to bat at No3 against Bengal he responded by scoring 153 at Kolkata in December 2014ldquoI think Shreyasrsquos Kanpur ton was similar to his 75 v Uttar Pradesh in that Ranji Trophy game at Green Park in 201415 He was playing after two failures and sensed that he might lose his place in the Mumbai teamrdquo Amre recalledlsquoSpecial talentrsquoFormer Mumbai coach Sulakshan Kulkarni praised Iyerrsquos technique and perfect placement He recalled the time when he was coach of the MCA Colts team for their Talyarkhan Trophy final against Parsee Gymkhana in 2013 ldquoShreyas was a regular legspinner then and used to bat brilliantly He must have been around 17 or 18 but he played some good ground shots for his 40 or 45 He batted just like he did at Kanpur building his way to a remarkable innings You need special talent to be accurate in your placement and Shreyas has itrdquo Kulkarni saidGanesh Iyer the former Mumbai team manager and Iyerrsquos fellow Adarsh Nagar Worli resident spoke about his mental toughness ldquoShreyas is a naturally talented player but I saw how hardworking he was even in his early days Mentally he is a very strong player In one Ranji Trophy game he got out for 180 I told him I was expecting a double hundred and he replied lsquoSir donrsquot worry a double century will come in the next matchrsquordquoThe 200plus score may not have been witnessed in the next game but it spoke volumes of his drive Talking about the next game itrsquos at Iyerrsquos den and the Mumbai lionrsquos roar could be louder at Wankhede Stadium