Why isn’t Venkatesh Iyer opening for Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR)? The bigger question – is Iyer being underutilised by the team management this season?
The 30-year-old has scored 135 runs from six innings. His strike rate is decent – 139.17. But save for a half-century, he has very little to show for his efforts. Inexplicably, he wasn’t given a single over in the nine games that the defending champions have played so far. An all-rounder has the advantage of turning to his bowling when he is not doing well with the bat. A few wickets help boost a player’s confidence,and that can be carried to batting as well.
KKR conceded 198 and 201 in their last two matches, at Eden Gardens against Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, the team’s two frontline spinners, had only one wicket between them in those two games. And yet, Iyer wasn’t given a bowl.
KKR forked out Rs 23.75 crore at the mega auction and made Iyer their most expensive buy this season. The current think-tank might point to the fact that even during a title-winning campaign last term, he was barely used as a bowler. But in 2024, the team was moving like a well-oiled machine. The pace attack had the quality and cutting-edge of Mitchell Starc. And Varun was making the ball talk.
More than his bowling though, Iyer as an opener in a misfiring batting unit probably wouldn’t be a bad experiment. Last year, Narine and Phil Salt had combined to form the tournament’s most consistent and impactful opening pair, with 923 runs between them and both scoring at a strike–rate north of 180. In a mega auction year, the franchise couldn’t retain Salt but they replaced him with a proven performer – Quinton de Kock. But he has so far scored 143 runs from seven innings. A sharp dip in Narine’s form saw him make just 151 runs from eight outings. All the while, Iyer has remained static in the middle order.
“(Venky) needs that pace on the ball,” Anil Kumble said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show. “You have six overs, the Powerplay, it’s where he can play his natural game, hit over the top. He has done it in the past, that’s how he got KKR back into the playoffs when they were down and out in Dubai.”
KKR’s resurgence in 2021 wouldn’t have happened without Iyer’s exploits as an opener. It is unlikely that he is averse to opening the innings again. It has to be a call taken by the coach and captain, who prefer the team’s vice-captain batting down the order, ostensibly under the pretext of team combination.
KKR play a virtual win-or-bust game against Delhi Capitals today. The Kotla pitch has been playing slow and low this year. Some flexibility might help.
For Latest Sports News Follow: Revsportz