Venkatesh Iyer, the new sensation for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, is back in the spotlight with his performances in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2021.
In a SMAT Group D match between Bihar and Madhya Pradesh (MP), Iyer had a blistering all-round performance. The all-rounder got two wickets for just two runs in his quota of four overs that included two maiden overs and 22 dot balls. Bihar batters struggled against the medium pacer and other MP bolwers as they were bowled out for 59 runs in 18 overs.
In return, MP chased down the mark in just 5.4 overs. Iyer had an impact with the bat as well, scoring 36 runs in just 20 balls, including seven fours.
With 12 points and three wins in four games, the southpaw's all-around performance pushed his team MP to the top of Group D. So far, he has scored 154 runs in the tournament including one half-century and taken seven wickets from four games.
Iyer was a key factor in KKR's turnaround in the second leg of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In his first IPL season, the left-handed batter amassed 370 runs in ten matches. In addition, he claimed three wickets.
India will resume their International schedule against New Zealand in the first T20I of the three-match series on November 17 in Jaipur. And, just ahead of the Indian squad's announcement against the Kiwis, the 26-year-old all-rounder has made a claim as a batting all-rounder for his outstanding domestic performance.
According to the reports, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will announce India’s squad against the BlackCaps on November 9 and a few senior players may get rest for the series. It will be intriguing to see if KKR's all-rounder gets a call in the absence of the big guns.
