IPL 2021 | Brendon McCullum allows us to be ourselves, which is good for players, says Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer sizzled with the bat on his IPL debut, striking a brisk 27-ball 41* against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday in Abu Dhabi. The highlight of his strokeplay was its wide range, mixed with fluent drived and audacious reverse sweeps. The Indore-born has played 38 T20s for Madhya Pradesh till date, in which he accumulated 724 runs at an average of 36.20 with a highest of 88 not out.

Iyer credited KKR head-coach Brendon McCullum for the constant motivation, and stated that the former New Zealand skipper doesn't put any sort of pressure on his players.

“It is always good to see McCullum, and I am really excited to bat as he’s going to watch," Iyer said in a video posted by KKR on their Twitter handle. "There is no such pressure when he is right behind the nets. He is not a coach that puts a lot of pressure on us. He allows us to be what we are, and play the cricket that gives us maximum satisfaction. So I think that’s good for players like us.”

Iyer further resinstated that the aggression didn't stem with the realization of McCullum being around, but the fact that the New Zealand great knows how to handle players, and allows them to be themselves.

“See the best quality about someone aggressive is he knows how to handle situations and players. So, I guess, he just lets us be ourselves and that’s going to work,” he said.

KKR are currently placed sixth in the points table, with three wins from eight games. They'll take on Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, September 23.