Kevin Pietersen, Dodda Ganesh in awe of Venkatesh Iyer's all-round abilities: Do not forget this name
IPL 2021: Venkatesh Iyer picked 2 wickets in the ongoing Match 41 against Delhi Capitals in Sharjah on Tuesday, pleasantly surprising the cricketing fraternity with his all-round abilities.
In Short
- Venkatesh Iyer registered figures of 2 for 29 from his 4 overs vs DC
- Iyer picked the wickets of Shimron Hetmyer and Axar Patel in Sharjah
- Iyer has already scored 126 runs from 4 matches in IPL 2021 so far at an average of 42
Kolkata Knight Riders opener Venkatesh Iyer pleasantly surprised everyone watching IPL 2021 Match 41 on Tuesday as he picked two wickets with the ball against Delhi Capitals at Sharjah.
Iyer, who has impressed the cricketing fraternity with the bat in the three matches he's played so far this season, shone with the ball for KKR by registering figures of 2 for 29 from his 4 overs which helped the two-time champions restrict DC to 127 for 9 in 20 overs.
"Is there anything #VenkateshIyer can’t do on a cricket field? What an all-round talent," Ganesh tweeted.
"Do not forget this name - Venkatesh Iyer!" Kevin Pietersen tweeted.
Do not forget this name - Venkatesh Iyer! — Kevin Pietersen (@KP24) September 28, 2021
Is there anything #VenkateshIyer can’t do on a cricket field? What an allround talent #DoddaMathu #KKR #IPL2021 #KKRvDC — | Dodda Ganesh (@doddaganesha) September 28, 2021
Venkatesh Iyer was a completely unknown commodity before the second phase of the IPL 2021 but has quickly made a mark for himself by cementing his place in the KKR XI.
KKR vs DC, IPL 2021: Live Updates
Having completed an MBA in Finance, Venkatesh got an offer from Deloitte in 2018 but the cricketer turned it down. Venkatesh Iyer wanted to stay in Indore and continue playing for Maharashtra. In the IPL, he wanted to wear KKR's Purple colours right from the time his idol Sourav Ganguly was leading the franchise.
Venkatesh Iyer has been making the right noises at the domestic level. In 10 first-class matches, he averages 36.33. The Indore all-rounder averages 47.16 with the bat in 24 List A matches and has scored 2 hundreds as well.
In the T20s, Venkatesh has been striking at over 140. In 40 matches in the shortest format of the game, Venkatesh has 818 runs at an impressive average of close to 40. Venkatesh is a handy medium pacer too, having picked up 21 wickets in T20s so far at an economy rate of less than 7.
A fine run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this season helped him bag a Kolkata Knight Riders contract. Venkatesh was bought at his base price of Rs 20 lakh at the auction.