Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Eoin Morgan has heaped praise on Venkatesh Iyer after his team defeated Delhi Capitals by three wickets in the second qualifier of IPL 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
The southpaw scored a match-winning knock of 55 runs off just 41 balls and got his team close to the target of 136 runs.
Iyer added 96 runs with his opening partner Shubman Gill and laid the foundation of the run-chase. In fact, the left-handed batter was able to hit the ground running and took the role of the aggressor as Gill played the second fiddle. Iyer scored four fours and three sixes as he made great use of his feet to get to the pitch of the ball on a slow pitch.
It was noticed that all of the other batters struggled to get going on the sluggish pitch but Morgan said Iyer batted like he was batting on a different pitch as compared to others. Iyer was able to find the momentum in the early phase of the innings and continued to bat aggressively as he gave a fine start to his team.
This was Iyer’s third fifty of the season for KKR and the left-handed batter has helped the franchise in turning the corner. The southpaw from Indore has amassed 320 runs in nine matches at an impressive average of 40 and a decent strike rate of 125.
Morgan revealed that KKR’s coach Brendon McCullum has tracked Iyer’s progress and he has played a key role in giving the youngster confidence at the top level.
Eoin Morgan said in the post-match presentation, “We will dissect what happened in the last four overs. The openers gave us a great platform. But we have won and we are in the finals. We are delighted to get over the line. We are in the entertainment business and need to play some entertaining cricket. Six off 2 and you would say the odds are for the bowling side. But Tripathi has done it for us so many times. The guys coming in feel free to express themselves. The backroom staff has created an excellent atmosphere for that to happen. With the squad we have, we had huge expectations. Our coach BMac saw Iyer and had tracked his progress. Iyer seems to be batting on a different wicket. Anything can happen in a final”.
KKR has turned the tables in the second phase of IPL 2021 as they have won seven out of the nine matches they have played. The Eoin Morgan-led team will look to bring their best to the table in the all-important IPL 2021 final against Chennai Super Kings.
