Legendary Sunil Gavaskar is hopeful that Venkatesh Iyer can once again become a prospect for India. Iyer lifted his maiden IPL trophy with Kolkata Knight Riders beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday.
KKR bowlers were right on the money as they skittled out SRH for only 113 runs and Iyer played an instrumental role in getting his team over the line, scoring an unbeaten 52 off just 26 balls. The left-hander was able to hit the ground running, smashing Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a four and two sixes.
Meanwhile, while Sunil Narine and Phil Salt provided solid starts to KKR throughout the season, Iyer provided stability while batting at number three and four. The southpaw scored 370 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and a blistering strike rate of 158.79 in IPL 2024 and played a key role in the team’s championship run this season.
“I feel his batting and thinking have changed a little this time and for the better. Due to that, I believe he can once again become an India prospect because he bowls as well. He is also a very good fielder. If you are a left-handed middle-order batter in T20 or 50-over cricket and can bowl a few overs as well, it is icing on the cake,” Sunil Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Gavaskar noted that Iyer was a tad overconfident in his approach in the previous season and played immature shots, which led to his downfall.
“In the last season, he had played for India and was looking slightly overconfident, and was getting out because of that. Yes, I remember that he scored a century against Mumbai. It’s not that his season was bad but he was getting out while trying to hit sixes or play big shots soon after his arrival,” Gavaskar observed.
The Little Master hailed Iyer for bringing his A-game against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and taking the attack to the opposition after the early departure of Sunil Narine.
“We haven’t seen that this time. He played a few shots along the ground and after that, like we saw today, the way he attacked Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He understood that they could come under pressure if they had lost two or three wickets in the first six overs,” he said.
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the most dangerous bowler because the ball was swinging. So the way he went down the track and hit him for two sixes altered Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s line and length. When that happens, the batters dominate,” Gavaskar explained.
Iyer deserves a lot of credit for KKR’s success and he will look to continue the good show.
