Via: IPL/BCCI
Just when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fans were wondering if this could be yet another underwhelming season in the absence of Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer decided to step up. It was much like September-October 2021 in the United Arab Emirates, when his form inspired a late surge to the Indian Premier League final. With the early flourish and setting things up for the team, Iyer seems to have rediscovered his mojo. After a lean 2022 when he was unable to convert on the promise shown in 2021, Iyer has again found the form that had allowed him to break into the Indian team after his first IPL season.
At the start of the season, many questioned the KKR management for retaining Iyer in place of Shubman Gill. Gill is in stellar form and played a key part in the Gujarat Titans’ victorious campaign last year. With Iyer not performing, the contrast was stark. Another poor tournament, and Iyer could well have been labelled a one-season wonder.
Credit to KKR, they persisted with him and Iyer did not disappoint. The big shots are all back and, what is more, he is now capable of taking the game deep and batting right through the innings. In fact, if KKR are to progress and make it to the play offs, Iyer will have to play a leading role.
For Iyer too, the last few matches have meant a lot. In a way, he has repaid the faith the management had shown in him.
“I owe KKR a lot for doing all that they have done for me,” Iyer had said a while ago. “I had a decent Mushtaq Ali [Trophy] in 2021 and was hoping that something good would come out of it. In the auction, I was twice unsold before KKR finally picked me up. That was the moment for me. It said to me that, yes, I was going in the right direction.
“I did not get an opportunity to play in the first leg in 2021, but KKR always inspired me and gave me a sense that my opportunity was round the corner. Then, the Covid-induced break happened and when we resumed in September, I got my opportunity. And once I did, I managed to make the most of it. In fact, what KKR was able to achieve in the UAE will still be talked about 20-30 years later, and be one of the biggest IPL comeback stories of all time. It was the team that helped get the best out of me.”
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Sample this from him. “We had played a couple of practice matches, and I had scored some 70-80 runs in them,” he said. “I thought I had played well and after my batting was done, I dived and saved the very first ball. That’s what impressed Baz (Brendon McCullum, who was the KKR coach then), and he said it was the kind of attitude he wanted to see in KKR.
“That’s when things started to happen for me. And against RCB, when the bowlers restricted them to under 100, it became easy. Once the initial jitters about opening were gone, I was absolutely at peace with myself. I said to myself this is what I do everyday, and it was no different. I was into my stride.”
Can Iyer continue with the good form and yet again stake a claim for the Indian team? With Hardik not playing Test cricket, India continues to search for a pace-bowling all-rounder. A consistent Venky Iyer could surely be an option in the future. And may I say, he does have the attitude to excel in top-flight cricket.
“I always dream of helping India win major games,” he said once. “That’s what the goal is and always will be. And once you know you can do certain things, your desire to accomplish certain goals only get stronger. In 2021, I knew if we [he and Gill] had batted on for three more overs in the IPL final, we could have won it for KKR. I will not rest easy, and want to win the IPL Trophy with KKR. It is the very same for India, for I know I can contribute and make my team win with both ball and ball. Winning it for your team- that’s what it is all about in the end.”
It is this attitude that has helped him make such a strong comeback. And it could well be that it takes KKR to the playoffs in IPL 2023.