The first Test match between India and New Zealand in Kanpur finished in a draw on Monday. Kane Williamson and company managed 165/9 before the day was called off due to bad light. 

Rachin Ravindra (18 off 91) and Ajaz Patel (2 off 23) were unbeaten at stumps as Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the Indian bowlers with a four-fer. 

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The match that went down to the wire saw several hits and flops. Here are the top stories from the Kanpur Test:

1) Shreyas Iyer’s dream debut:

Shreyas Iyer was named the player of the match for scoring a ton and half-century on his Test debut. The Mumbai player scored 105 runs in the first innings and then followed it up with a  65-run hand in the second. He became the 16th Indian to score a century on Test match debut. 

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Riding on Iyer’s partnerships with Wriddhiman Saha and Ravichandran Ashwin on Day 4, India managed to post a daunting 284-run target for New Zealand to chase in the final innings. 

2) Ravichandran Ashwin’s all-round show:

With the wicket of Tom Latham in the second session on Day 5, Ravichandran Ashwin surpassed legendary Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh to become the third-highest wicket-taker for the country in the longest format. Ashwin finished the match with 3/82 and 3/35 in both the innings respectively. Ashwin also scored 38 and 32 runs in both the innings, drawing a comparison between him and Kapil Dev. 

3) Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane’s flop-show:

While Shreyas Iyer’s form will be a big boost for India heading into the second Test in Mumbai, veterans Cheteshwar Pujara or Ajinkya Rahane might have to make way for the 26-year-old when skipper Virat Kohli joins the team. 

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Both Pujara and Rahane are going through a lean phase. The former managed 48 runs in two innings while the latter finished with 39. Kohli coming in the set-up is likely to see one of them or even both being benched. 

4) Axar Patel’s golden Test run:

Axar Patel continued his golden run in favourable home conditions, grabbing a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the Kanpur Test. The left-arm spinner finished the innings with figures of 5/62 to give India an upper hand. In the second innings, Patel dismissed Henry Nicholls.