IPL 2021 | Sourav Ganguly played a crucial role in my life, reveals Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer scored his first IPL half century against Mumbai Indians
|| Courtesy - IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders opener Venkatesh Iyer has stated that he was inspired by Sourav Ganguly and the former Indian cricketer has played a huge role in his career. The left-hand batsman further added that he wanted to replicate Ganguly in terms of how he batted and the way he hit sixes.
Kolkata Knight Riders opener Venkatesh Iyer is making the headlines after playing brilliant knocks in two successive matches of the second leg of IPL 2021. The 26-year-oldĀ scored an unbeaten 41 from 27 balls against RCB inĀ his debut match before scoring 53 from 30 balls against Mumbai Indians on Thursday. During the match against the Rohit Sharma-led side, Iyer played aggressive cricket against world-class bowlers - Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, and Adam Milne to score his first IPL half-century. With crucial contributions from Venkatesh Iyer and Rahul Tripathy, Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Mumbai Indians by seven wickets in Abu Dhabi.
In a conversation with his KKR teammate Rahul Tripathi, Iyer stated that Sourav Ganguly has played a crucial role in his cricket career. Iyer further stated that he wanted to replicate the batting style of Ganguly and the way he hit sixes.Ā
āI used to bat right-handed when I was very young but I wanted to exactly replicate Dada, how he hit sixes and the way he batted. He has played a very big role unknowingly in my life. I was really waiting for my opportunity and I knew I am going to get my chanceā, Iyer revealed to Rahul Tripathi in a video posted on iplt20.com.
āHonestly, KKR was the first franchise I wanted to get in because Sourav Ganguly was the captain initially so I wanted to get into KKR first. Got picked by the franchise so it was a dreamy moment for me. Everyone was very welcoming, I got a lot of gifts. I am a huge fan of Dada, he has got millions of fans around the globe and I am one of them. He has played a huge role in my batting, indirectly,ā he added.
KKR has now moved up to fourth place on the points tableĀ with their victory against Mumbai Indians on Thursday.Ā The Eoin Morgan-led side will play their next match against CSK on Sunday at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.Ā
