India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has a topsy-turvy kind of career, where after solid domestic and IPL performances, he was picked for the national side, and then after making the side, he suffered a few injuries, that hampered his chances. But it seems now, that Iyer the all-rounder is back, and raring to contribute in all the three departments.
“I’ve always wanted to contribute in all three departments,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “When there’s a problem with one, it feels like I’m not completely committed to my team. Obviously, there was an injury but when I can contribute in all three, the magnitude of contribution can differ, I think I’ll sleep peacefully. That’s what I was missing for a long time.
“Now that I’m bowling, I’m bowling long spells, bowling with the new ball, in SMAT [2023] also I bowled with the new ball. I’m seeing new dimensions of my bowling and batting, so it feels good.”
In the IPL 2023, he was also benefitted with two factors. KKR coach Chandrakant Pandit happens to be his coach at MP, and then the Impact Sub rule, that allowed him to contribute to the team. “It meant I would play multiple roles,”
“If we’re batting first, I can anchor. If we’re chasing around 200, I have to go for it from ball one. The role was communicated properly and this season I did a lot of following rather than thinking myself. I did a lot of what Abhishek Nayar told me to do and that worked for me. Even if it didn’t, I was really happy with that because he was able to justify why I need to do and that gave me a lot of clarity to go out there and make decisions. It was very challenging but good fun.”
