From undergoing surgery to making his Test debut, the year 2021 has been full of ups and down for Indian middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer, who received his maiden Test call-up for the series against New Zealand.

Iyer dislocated his shoulder in an ODI against England in Pune on March 23 following which he had to undergo surgery and was also ruled out of playing for Lancashire in the Royal London Cup. 

The cricketer was also unable to play in the first part of the Indian Premier League that was held in India in early 2021 and Rishabh Pant took over as the captain of the Delhi Capitals.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Will Delhi Capitals let R Ashwin, Shreyas Iyer go? Spinner weighs in

Iyer, however, came back for the second part of the IPL that was played in the UAE in September. He was picked for the Team India T20I squad but could not make it to the playing 11. 

On Thursday, he received his Test cap from Sunil Gavaskar before the start of the first Test match against New Zealand at Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. 

Delhi Capitals head coach and former Aussie batsman, Ricky Ponting, congratulated Iyer on receiving his cap in Tests.

“Having seen all the work you’ve put in over the last few years, very well deserved and only the beginning for you mate. Proud of you @ShreyasIyer15,” Ponting tweeted.

Iyer did not disappoint. The 26-year-old debutant’s unbeaten 75 off 136 helped Team India reach 258 for 4. 

Meanwhile, Iyer on Tuesday posted a video on Instagram, in which he shared visuals of his treatment and then showed pictures of him in his Test jersey.