‘He’s someone who can adapt very quickly’: KKR coach backs out-of-favour star to team up with Hardik at Team India
The star has been kept as one of the standbys for the Asian Games, which will be held in September-October in Hangzhou, China.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the biggest platforms for aspiring cricketers and over the years many talents have made it into the national side following their rich exploits in the cash-rich T20 tournament. Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav are some of the names who followed a similar route and have since made big gains in world cricket.
Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma, who has also been elevated to the national squad on the basis of IPL, has shown promising signs. But there are plenty of other examples, who despite being given the opportunity are no longer in the scheme of things.
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One name that features in this list is Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer. Although he has represented India in both the white-ball formats, Iyer's last T20I appearance was back in February 2022, indicating the selectors have moved on from him. However, he has been kept as one of the standbys for the Asian Games, which will be held in September-October in Hangzhou, China.
While it appears that Iyer might have to wait a bit long to once again break into the national side, KKR assistant coach Abhishek Nayar feels the management should focus on grooming the all-rounder. Pointing out the values he adds to the side, Nayar feels that Iyer can play as the supportive all-rounder for Hardik Pandya at Team India.
“Unfortunately, he suffered an injury last year. In terms of the future, he is a very versatile player. You’ve seen him bat up the order, down the order and he can give you some overs as well.
“He’s someone who can adapt very quickly because of the amount of intelligence and smartness he possesses,” Nayar told PTI.
Sharing his views on adding Iyer as a standby player for the Asian Games, Nayar believes that will give the left-hander a boost of confidence.
“It’s all about feeling part of that team environment. I feel he is on an upward curve as a cricketer. He’s at that phase where, you know, needs to just keep going and just keep believing in his art all over again,” said Nayar.
After producing impactful performances in IPL for the Knight Riders, many had projected him as a perfect alternative for Pandya. The management too tried the same as Iyer played a similar role in the absence of Pandya but couldn't really fill those big shoes.
