India skipper for the first Test vs New Zealand Ajinkya Rahane has confimed that middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer is set to make his debut in the longest format of the game on Thursday.
Iyer has scored 4,592 runs in 64 first-class matches with an average of 52.18 including 12 tons and 23 fifties.
“Shreyas is going to make his debut. Unfortunately, KL is injured and will not be a part of the Test matches. So, Shreyas will make his debut tomorrow,” said Rahane in the pre-match press conference.
Rahane noted that it was a big blow for Rahul to miss the series. But he expects the youngsters to do well in the absence of many players like Virat Kohli (returning for second Test), Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant.
“See, it is a big blow when we got to know that KL (Rahul) is injured and is not available for these two Test matches. He did really well in England. He was in good form and played really well in T20s. Obviously, we will miss him but we have guys who can fill that slot, guys who did well for us in the past with that experience. Not too worried about the opening slot.
Speaking on his current form in Test cricket, Rahane said he is not bothered about his position and want to contribute for the team at his best.
“Not too bothered about what can happen next. What happens in the future is not of concern to me. I am focusing only on how I can give my best at a given particular moment and will try for that only.
