'I consider all levels the same' - Venkatesh Iyer on pressure in domestic, international, IPL games

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the schedule for the Indian domestic season for 2022-23 this month. Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has highlighted the competition for places on every level and believes that the pressure of each level is the same for him. He is not a part of the current Indian national team and has last played in a T20I fixture against Sri Lanka at Dharamshala in February 2022.

The 27-year-old bowling all-rounder garnered attention for his explosive innings for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. His heroics with batting earned him retention at KKR for the 2022 season and a place in the Indian national team. He has featured in nine T20Is, and two ODIs matches so far but is yet to make a big impact to cement his place in white-ball teams. Venkatesh also had a poor outing in IPL 2022 season with just 182 runs and no wickets in 12 matches.

“Due to the amount of competition, the pressure is the same across all levels (domestic, IPL, and international). The time that you take to adapt to the pressure of each level is probably different. But I consider all levels the same, and you just have to go out and execute the skills that you have been working on for the past 10-15 years,” Venkatesh Iyer said in an interview with Sportskeeda.

In cricket, you adapt or you perish: Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh has already proved his versatility and has impressive numbers in domestic cricket. But he definitely needs to do more to be a regular part of the Indian national team. Hardik Pandya made a successful return from his injury and has become a crucial figure in the white-ball team. Venkatesh might take inspiration from Hardik ahead of Indian domestic tournaments and fight back to get back his place in the Indian national team.

“See, I believe that in cricket, you adapt, or you perish. The opportunities are limited, and the talent is so much, so it is great to be a part of the huge pool of talent. So you need to adapt to fit into the scenario, or else you will be pushed behind the line. So I always look to contribute to the team in any way possible, whether it’s opening, batting in the middle-order, or bowling a couple of overs,” Venkatesh added.