‘I wanted to exactly replicate Dada’: Venkatesh Iyer explains how Sourav Ganguly ‘played a huge role’ in his batting

Sep 24, 2021 01:33 PM IST

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Venkatesh Iyer says his style is inspired by former India and KKR skipper Sourav Ganguly.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Venkatesh Iyer has been making strides in the UAE leg of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. After playing a match-winning knock (41 not out off 27 balls) against the Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday, the youngster notched up his maiden IPL fifty batting against Mumbai Indians on Thursday in Abu Dhabi.

Venkatesh Iyer says his style is inspired by former India skipper Sourav Ganguly(HT Collage)

During the chase of 156, Iyer scored 53 off 30 balls, with the help of four boundaries and three sixes. Batsman Rahul Tripathi, who came in at no. 3, played a ravishing knock of 74 not out off 42 balls, guiding KKR to an 7-wicket win.

After the comprehensive win, both Iyer and Rahul had a conversation in which the former revealed that his style is inspired by none other than former India skipper Sourav Ganguly.

“Honestly, 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,” Iyer told teammate Rahul Tripathi in a video posted on iplt20.com.

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“I 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 chance,” he added.

Earlier, Quinton de Kock's 55-run knock helped Mumbai Indians post 155/6 against KKR in the allotted twenty overs. For KKR, Prasidh Krishna and Lockie Ferguson scalped two wickets each. With this win, KKR has risen to the fourth spot in the points table while Mumbai Indians has slipped to the sixth position.

KKR will next lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday.

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