He batted with a 'how can you make me wait to play Test Cricket' kind of attitude: Dinesh Karthik lauds Shreyas Iyer after his debut ton

Dinesh Karthik (L) lauds Shreyas Iyer (R) following latter's debut Test hundred against New Zealand
Dinesh Karthik (L) lauds Shreyas Iyer (R) following latter's debut Test hundred against New Zealand

Following his maiden Test three-figure mark, Shreyas Iyer is on the receiving end of plaudits from around the world. With his sheer temperament and attacking prowess, the debutant scored 105 runs in the first innings of the first IND-NZ Test.

Dinesh Karthik talked about Iyer's long-haul wait to play Test cricket. He exclaimed that Iyer played with a 'how can you make me wait to play Test Cricket' kind of attitude. While interacting at Cricbuzz Live, the former Indian keeper mentioned that Iyer made the batting look far easier than it actually was.

Dinesh Karthik is excited about Shreyas Iyer

"Shreyas grabbed the opportunity and made it look 'how can you make me wait to play test cricket so long''. That's the kind of attitude he batted with. Stepping out hitting over the top, taking the fast bowlers on and making the batting look far easier than what it actually was. Because the other batters obviously didn't play at the strike rate he played nor did they play the shots that he played."

Former Kiwi pacer Simon Doull was also present in the conversation. He reflected upon the upcoming 'wealth of real talent' India and New Zealand are producing. The 52-year old mentioned:

"One thing about India, the pool of talent they have produced and what New Zealand are producing now in red and white ball is like a wealth of real talent that they're able to call on. And both these sides when you look at what's been left out and the players to be left out of both these sides - there's a huge amount of talent on show."

"Tim Southee, for me, is likened to the likes of Chaminda Vaas and Zaheer Khan" - Simon Doull

Tim Southee was exceptional during the first session on Day 2
Tim Southee was exceptional during the first session on Day 2

Veteran Kiwi seamer Tim Southee gave no quarters to the Indian batters and produced a magnificent spell in the morning session of Day 2.

India were in a commanding position at 258/4 but the right-arm pacer's spirited spell helped New Zealand comeback into the game. He finished with a five-for while giving away 69 runs.

While commending Southee's use of the bowling crease, Doull drew parallels between Southee and the legends of Chaminda Vaas and Zaheer Khan. He said:

"Tim Southee for me, I've likened him a couple of times now too the likes of Chaminda Vaas and Zaheer Khan. As they've slightly got older in years, they've just gotten smarter. Use the crease well, those three-quarters seam bowl, the one that nip across the right-handers. So they've gotten slightly slower as they got older but they've got much smarter. And his (Southee) form from the last two-and-a-half has just been exceptional."

The unbeaten 129* run opening stand between Tom Latham and Will Young has put the visitors on top, leading to Day 3.

Day 3 will begin at 9:30 a.m IST tomorrow.

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Edited by Rohit Mishra