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Former India opener Virender Sehwag has advised Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) not to drop an in-form Venkatesh Iyer from the playing XI to make way for fit-again Phil Salt. Despite the defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), RCB finished on top of the points table. They will face Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Qualifier 1 on May 26. Sehwag has offered an alternate route to ensure Salt and Iyer remain part of the playing eleven. He wants skipper Rajat Patidar to drop an underperforming Jitesh Sharma, who is also vice-captain, to keep Iyer in the side.
"Venkatesh Iyer is at his best when batting in the top order. He played his best knocks for KKR in that position. For RCB, he hasn't had many chances at his preferred spot," Sehwag said on Star Sports.
"But when Rajat Patidar was injured, he came in at number four against Punjab and played a match-winning 73. Then against SRH, he opened the innings and played a quickfire 44, giving RCB the start they needed in a 256-run chase."
Salt scored 202 runs from six innings before he got injured and went back to England for scans and rehabilitation. In his absence, Jacob Bethell struggled. Iyer was often used as impact player when RCB batting collapsed. Eventually, he was part of the starting eleven and proved his mettle in the previous two knocks. Sehwag feels that Englishman Salt should take wicketkeeping duties from Jitesh.
"Now, with Phil Salt returning to full fitness, the big question is whether Venkatesh will keep his place in the XI. It's a good problem for RCB to have," Sehwag said.
"I wouldn't drop Iyer from the opening slot. Instead, I would replace Jitesh Sharma with Phil Salt. Jitesh is not in great form, and RCB have taken bold decisions before. If Salt has to come back, Jitesh should make way."
Jitesh, Venkatesh’s stats compared in IPL 2026
Jitesh has struggled for runs this season. The 32-year-old has managed to score just 90 runs from 10 innings at an average of 10 and strike rate of 118.42.
On the other hand, Venkatesh has already surpassed his previous year’s tally of runs in four innings. Venkatesh has scored 158 runs averaging 79 and striking at 177.52.
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