“I Have Huge Respect For Hardik Bhai”: Venkatesh Iyer Reacts On Comparison With Hardik Pandya

In the IPL final 2021, quick half-centuries by KKR’s opening pair are still fresh in our minds. Venkatesh Iyer’s blistering knock of 50 with a strike rate of 156 along with Shubman Gill was making the run chase for KKR a cakewalk. But as the opening pair departed the middle order tumbled making single-digit runs and the trophy slipped away to the SuperKings for the fourth time. Analysing the previous season, ahead of the tournament, KKR retained four players from the side including all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer. Iyer produced consistent performances for the side during the second phase of the season. He played a great part in making the team qualify for playoffs after a forgettable first leg of the tournament last year. As a result, Iyer was called-up for Team India following the World Cup and has since been a regular member of the T20I squad.

Iyer In Blue So Far

Iyer batted in the lower middle-order where he came twice at No.6 position and once at No.3. He scored just 36 runs in his international debut series. He was also part of India’s ODI squad for the South Africa tour earlier this year. Iyer managed to score just 24 runs in the first two ODI matches and was later benched for the final match. He was subsequently dropped from the ODI squad against West Indies but continued to feature in the shortest format for India. In the three-match T20I series against West Indies, the Southpaw hammered 92 runs at a strike rate of 184. Adding more, he smashed 35 runs off 19 balls in the final T20I match. Venkatesh’s ability to give a handful of overs with the ball makes him a likely contender for India’s all-rounder role in the T20 World Cup in Australia in October this year.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Prominent Players who are not playing in the first few weeks

The Tug Of War for the 6th Position

Before Iyer, Hardik Pandya was India’s go-to choice as a pace-bowling all-rounder. However, Pandya limping with injuries was forced to be out of the team. But, Pandya will make a return in the Indian Premier League as he leads the Gujarat Titans side. Iyer will be hoping to continue his consistent performances for KKR. During an interview, the all-rounder spoke in detail about his comparisons with Pandya and his place in the side.

“As a cricketer, I have huge respect for Hardik Bhai for what he has done for India. It is unbelievable. I am a huge admirer of Hardik Bhai. These comparisons are very natural, but I pay no heed to them,”

SAID IYER IN AN INTERVIEW WITH TIMES OF INDIA

Venkatesh has been in stellar form lately. Iyer’s recent allrounder performance, Indian captain Rohit Sharma had heaped praises, stating that he wants to groom the young gun for the No. 6 position. When asked for his thoughts on this, Iyer said he is very flexible and ready to bat at any position.

“Yes, absolutely. I am ready for any position and situation. As a professional cricketer, I have always maintained that I need to be very flexible. We have to understand that we are entering a team where there is cut-throat competition and that too for every role and for every player,”

ADDED IYER

Iyer will be seen in action soon on the season opener on March 26 as CSK take on KKR at Wankhede.