One of the biggest positives for the Indian team from the T20I series against West Indies was the rise of Venkatesh Iyer.
The left-hander has been given a completely different role to finish the innings and he has been able to grab it with both hands. The southpaw, who hails from Madhya Pradesh, scored 92 runs in three matches at an average of 92 and an impressive strike rate of 184 in the series.
Iyer opens the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL and as India has openers like Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Ruturaj Gaikwad, Iyer has been bestowed with a completely different role for the national team.
So far the all-rounder has done justice to the role and his performance against the West Indies must have given him a shot in the arm.
“I know he plays a different role (opener) for his IPL franchise but we’re very clear with what is the kind of role that we see him filling in our situation… Obviously, our top three isn’t really a spot, because these guys have established and have been performing very well in the top three,” Dravid said after India’s 3-0 win over the West Indies.
“So we challenged him, we gave him the role to be able to bat in that position. Every time he’s improved, he’s gotten better. That’s really pleasing.”
Iyer smashed 35 runs off 19 balls in the final T20I against the Windies. Furthermore, he scalped two wickets and was able to fill in the shoes of Deepak Chahar, who couldn’t complete his quota of four overs after suffering a hamstring injury. Dravid added that the role of the sixth bowler is tricky and he could be called upon to bowl in dire straits, as was the case in the third T20I.
“The role of a sixth bowler is something that you always be called upon to bowl. But in a situation like today where we, unfortunately, lost Deepak, you have to bowl a few critical overs,” Dravid said.
“That is the role of a sixth bowler. If you are having a good game and the captain doesn’t need you then he doesn’t need you. “If he needs you, he probably will need you at a critical time. And I think he’s done a really good job for us, really good series he has had,” he added.
India will play Sri Lanka in three-match T20I series, with the first game to be played in Lucknow on Thursday.
