Venkatesh Iyer has become the cynosure of all eyes with the kind of top-notch performances he has been putting up. Filling the shoes of a perfect all-rounder, the 27-year-old is gradually turning out to be an indispensable asset of Indian squad, especially, in the shortest format of cricket. With such extraordinary skillset, Venkatesh Iyer grabbed former India's cricketer Wasim Jaffer's attention. Jaffer made a big statement on the all-rounder and rated him above Hardik Pandya.
"I feel, at this point in time, he [Venkatesh Iyer] is a little bit ahead because you don't know if Hardik Pandya is bowling now, how fit he is... Obviously, how the IPL goes for Pandya will play a very key role. But I think at this point in time, Iyer is definitely ahead of Pandya," Jaffer opined.
In the third T20I against West Indies, Venkatesh played an instrumental role in India's 17-run victory. The 6 ft 1 inch tall Venkatesh, played a blistering knock of 35 off 19 balls and topped it by scalping two wickets while conceding 23 runs. Venkatesh finished as India's second highest run-getter with 92 runs at a brilliant strike-rate of 184. He was also India's fourth best bowler with two wickets at an impressive average of 13.50. in the T20I series.
"I am surprised how good he is playing as a number six batter. We have seen him as an opener but for him to come out and get adapted so well at number six and finish games is outstanding. Plus, the way he has bowled as well and got couple of important wickets, it definitely gives him an edge going into the World Cup and I feel he is a real contender now," Jaffer added.
Venkatesh made his presence feel in the last edition of IPL where he played some phenomenal knocks for Kolkata Knight Riders and helped his side secure a place in the summit clash. In a total of 10 matches that he played for KKR in 2021, he scored 370 runs with four half-centuries at a staggering average of 41.11. He also scalped three wickets in the previous season. The Kolkata-based franchise further retained Venkatesh for Rs 8 crore for the upcoming season.
