"The way he absorbed pressure in his first Test match" - VVS Laxman picks Shreyas Iyer as India's standout performer of the NZ series

VVS Laxman has picked Shreyas Iyer as Team India's standout performer of the recently concluded Test series against New Zealand.

Iyer became the first Indian to hit a century and a half-century on his Test debut. Although he couldn't replicate those performances in the second Test on his home ground, he looked comfortable in the middle.

Speaking on Star Sports, VVS Laxman chose Shreyas Iyer as his standout player of the series. He reasoned:

"The standout performer was Shreyas Iyer, the way he absorbed pressure in his first Test match itself. He came to bat in a difficult situation, four wickets had fallen, the way he paced his innings, he made a century in the first innings."

The former India cricketer highlighted that Shreyas Iyer played match-defining knocks in both innings of the Kanpur Test. Laxman said:

"The Indian team was again under pressure in the second innings, five wickets had fallen but he showed confidence in his natural game and made a half-century. So match-winning knocks in both innings."

Iyer scored 105 runs in the first innings after Team India were reduced to a score of 145/4. He followed that up with a 65-run knock when the Ajinkya Rahane-led side were reeling at a score of 51/5 in the second essay.

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"Shreyas Iyer made changes in his mindset, technique and approach" - VVS Laxman

Shreyas Iyer has been a regular member of India's white-ball lineups

VVS Laxman highlighted that Shreyas Iyer had to make alterations in multiple aspects as he had not played first-class cricket for a long while. He explained:

"We need to keep in mind that he played first-class cricket two years back. That means he had not played red-ball cricket at all, was continuously playing white-ball cricket. So he made changes in his mindset, technique and approach."

The 47-year-old concluded by lauding Shreyas Iyer for his aggressive approach against the spinners and for sticking to his natural game. Laxman stated:

"The way Shreyas Iyer batted against the spinners, in this match we talked about Mayank Agarwal's attacking nature, similarly Shreyas Iyer on debut, the way he used his feet and played his natural game. This becomes necessary, you have to replicate the technique and approach you have used in first-class cricket in international cricket as well."

Iyer has an impressive overall record in first-class cricket. The Mumbaikar has amassed 4794 in 56 matches at an excellent average of 52.10.