Sunil Gavaskar believes Venkatesh Iyer of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) could be the all-rounder that Team India is looking for. The cricket veteran praised the youngster’s all-around abilities, praising his ability to bowl yorkers in particular.
Venkatesh Iyer’s ascension in the second phase of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) has piqued everyone’s interest, despite Hardik Pandya’s lack of bowling ability.
“In Venkatesh Iyer, Kolkata have unearthed a player who can be the all-rounder that India is looking for. His bowing is not express, but he gets the yorker right more than not and doesn’t let the batsman slog him. As a batsman, he plays upright, which gets into a great position to play the short ball, and he drives beautifully through the off-side like all left-handers seem to do.” he said
Venkatesh Iyer
However, Venkatesh Iyer revealed after KKR’s triumph over Delhi Capitals (DC) that he has always aimed to be a player who contributes to all three aspects of the game. The Madhya Pradesh cricketer, who is 26 years old, has appeared in four IPL matches. Then scoring 126 runs at an average of 42 and hitting at 145.
Sunil Gavaskar believes KKR’s hard-fought victory over a strong DC will strengthen their spirit and ready them for more difficult battles to come.
“Kolkata have done their chances of qualifying for the playoffs no harm after an excellent win in their previous match over the then table-toppers Delhi. It was just that the kind of hard-fought win that can boost a team’s morale and prepare it for sterner battles,” wrote Sunil Gavaskar.
With 10 points from 11 games, KKR is in fourth place in the IPL 2021 points standings. They are equal for first place with the defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI), although they have a better net run rate. On Friday, they go to Dubai to face the struggling Punjab Kings (PBKS) (October 1).
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