EVERY time Shreyas Iyer has walked up to the wicket in any form of cricket, he has brought a special confidence around him. One can sense the ease and belief the Mumbai batsman has in his own abilities. His spectacular Test debut against New Zealand with a well-crafted century has not come as a big surprise for the pundits. Iyer had built that much trust in the followers with his skills and temperament.

 

The Iyer story is another chapter in India’s successful implementation of a grassroots programme to tap raw talent and forge them into ready products. The Test arena has been a special witness to India’s precocious bench-strength in the last couple of seasons. Iyer may be a new addition but he was always a certainty to be counted among the confident new breed of Indian cricketers. What is remarkable in his debut hundred is the way he channeled his forces on a tricky track. That he was coming from a long injury lay-off adds further glitter to the achievement. These are still early days for Shreyas Iyer but the way he constructed his innings in Kanpur should make the team management extremely happy that they have a player to bank on in the middle.