Iyer keen to catch up after grind in domestic cricket
NEW DELHI: Even if Venkatesh Iyer was given charge of writing his own script, he might have struggled to conjure up the fairytale that the past four months have been. Until September, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to claim that Iyer—already 26— merely seemed to be one of the run-of-the-mill players on the fringes of Indian cricket’s extensive landscape.
Crucially, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) coach Brendon McCullum didn’t seem to think so. As is well-documented now, he had a close look at Iyer in the nets before the second leg of IPL in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and liked what he saw. Not one to be wary of taking bold calls, the former New Zealand captain thrust Iyer to the top of the order—a role the left-hander had performed for his state team, Madhya Pradesh, only since the start of the 2020/21 season.
Iyer’s life has taken a whirlwind turn since. His ascendancy began by his hitting 370 runs in 10 matches at an average of 41.11 and strike rate of 128.47 to help KKR finish runners-up. During the IPL, he also showed that he can bowl effective medium-pace and play the role of a fifth bowler, an asset worth its weight in gold in Indian cricket.
Retained by KKR
A call-up to the India team as net bowler for the T20 World Cup and a debut in the T20I series against New Zealand followed, and KKR retaining him for Rs 8 crore (from his earlier sum of Rs 20 lakh) ahead of the February mega auction was another feather in the cap. Amid all this, he has most importantly not let performances dip. In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where Madhya Pradesh were knocked out in the pre-quarterfinal stage, Iyer notched up 379 runs in six games including a highest score of 151. He aggregated 63.16 runs per game while striking the ball at 133.92.
“When you get to play for the country, it’s always good. The fact that I have been retained in the IPL and I am doing well in domestic tournaments makes me feel good. I feel I am doing well and want to continue this over a long period,” said Iyer on Sunday, a day after his 27th birthday.
Iyer’s measured response doesn’t illustrate his dominance in domestic cricket of late. His century against Chandigarh, for instance, came with MP reeling at 56/4. Iyer came in at No 6 and smashed 151 off 113 balls with 10 sixes.
“My mindset has always been to dominate irrespective of the level I am playing at. Even when I played in IPL, I wanted to dominate. By saying that, I don’t mean just hitting fours or sixes. The presence there is something that should be felt by the opposition. When I came back to the Vijay Hazare after playing for India, there were expectations from my team members also. So I had to put my hand up. That has been my general way of going about my game.”
Any batting slot
While Iyer’s IPL runs came as an opener, his three T20 games for India and the subsequent Vijay Hazare saw him return to the middle-order. Iyer isn’t fussed* about it.
“I don’t really have an ideal batting position. I have always worked on being flexible. I have batted in the middle-order for MP for a long time. When I was asked to open by MP coach Chandrakant Pandit during the 2020/21 season, I did not find it difficult. I can bat anywhere and that is how I have trained my mind. If I tell myself I am better off opening or batting in the middle-order, there would then be a problem in adjusting to a different role.”
As for his bowling, it’s been a more recent focus. He realised he could do an effective job with the ball during the last domestic season and has been encouraged by the Indian camp’s suggestion that he should give his seam bowling equal importance.
“I have increased my focus on bowling not just after the T20 World Cup (he was a net bowler). Last season, I started feeling that I can be the third seamer for MP. From then on, I started to work more on my bowling. Even in the Vijay Hazare this season, I completed my quota of overs in almost every match. That is a huge plus. I am evolving as an all-rounder and teams can trust me with both bat and ball.”
Seam-bowling all-rounders are rare in Indian cricket. What makes Iyer rarer is his academic excellence. He holds an MBA degree in finance and let go of a job offer from Deloitte in 2018 to pursue his cricketing dream.
A ‘studied’ approach
“I am a firm believer that the game is very tiring mentally as well. I have always needed something to help me get away from the game when times are tough. My academic background has helped me in smart decisionmaking and in analysing things better. I have never considered academics or cricket as secondary. I have always tried to maintain a proper balance between both,” said Iyer.
It has perhaps also helped Iyer—he made his white-ball debut for MP in 2015—make light of assumptions that he has made a swift rise up the ladder. “The journey has not been short. I have put in all the hard work that one needs to in domestic cricket. Even when I was picked in the IPL or Indian team, the celebrations were not over the top because I knew I am running a couple of years late. People in India get to make their debut quicker than I have. But the journey has taught me a lot. The grind has made me more mature and sensible.”