BCCI/Twitter

Shreyas Iyer scored his maiden ODI century in India’s first match against New Zealand at Hamilton on Wednesday but his efforts were in vain as the his team were not able to cement a victory.

Taking 107 balls, Shreyas Iyer chalked up 103 runs with the help of 11 fours and a six. He brought up his fifty in 66 balls and then raced to his ton after taking another 35 balls.

“I was really happy the way I planned my innings,” Iyer said. “I was keeping patient and I had that self-belief that once I crossed a certain mark, I’ll be able to cover all the dot balls I had played.”

Not the way we wanted the match to go, but scoring a century for my country was a special moment. One that I've been dreaming about since I first held a bat. Thank you to the management for the opportunity and their continued faith in me. Onwards and upwards now 🇮🇳 #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/8tAiK8n6B4

— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) February 6, 2020

Walking in at 54/2 in the ninth over, after debutant Prithvi Shaw (20) and Mayank Agarwal (32) departed, Shreyas Iyer put on a 102-run partnership with captain Virat Kohli in 120 balls to steady the ship.

“That (partnership with Virat Kohli) set up the momentum for the next batsman,” Iyer said.

The Mumbai batsman next went onto forge a 136-run partnership in just 101 deliveries with KL Rahul, who hammered an unbeaten 64-ball 88.

“Iyer was outstanding getting his first ODI hundred under pressure, KL again,” said skipper Virat Kohli. “These are positives for us.”

Shreyas Iyer, a NaMo Bandra Blasters skipper in the T20 Mumbai league, became the first no. 4 batsman to score a century away in four years.

India posted a daunting 347/4 in their 50 overs, but New Zealand managed to chase that with four wickets and 11 balls to spare.

“I am very happy but would have been happier if we could have finished the game on a winning note,” he said in the post-match press conference. “First of many (centuries), I hope, so I would take this in my stride and try to make sure that next time, I finish on the winning side.”

The second ODI, of the three-match series, between New Zealand and India will be played on Saturday.