Venkatesh Iyer is the all-rounder that India has been looking for: Sunil Gavaskar

Venkatesh Iyer has taken the second half of the IPL by storm. The 26-year-old has decimated bowling attacks in the 5 matches that he has played in the UAE leg of the IPL, and has scored 193 runs at an average of 48.25, and a strike rate of 141.91.

Iyer has also scalped 3 wickets with the ball. And, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar feels that Iyer could be the ideal all-rounder that the Indian cricket team might be looking for.  The 72-year-old added that Iyer does not bowl with a lot of pace, and does not allow the batsman to go after him.

Adding that Iyer also plays in an upright position as a batsman, Gavaskar feels that Iyer’s drives through the off side are beautiful to watch.

“In Venkatesh Iyer, Kolkata have unearthed a player who can be the all-rounder that India is looking for. His bowling is not express, but he gets the yorker right more often than not and doesn’t let the batsman slog him. As a batsman, he plays upright, which gets into a great position to play the short ball, and he drives beautifully through the off-side like all left-handers seem to do,” wrote Gavaskar for The Times of India.

Venkatesh Iyer’s 67 goes in vain against the Punjab Kings

Venkatesh Iyer scored a sparkling 67 at the top of the order for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). In fact, it was Iyer’s stunning knock that helped the Eoin Morgan-led side post a total of 165/7 on the board.

In reply, the Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) openers, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal took the attack to the opposition and put on a 70-run partnership for the opening wicket. And, Shahrukh Khan’s blistering innings, where the right-hander scored a marauding 9-ball 22* ensured that the Punjab side won the match with 5 wickets to spare.

The Kolkata Knight Riders will next be seen in action on the field on 3rd October 2021, when they lock horns against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) side in Dubai.