Kolkata Knight Riders youngster Venkatesh Iyer made a name for himself after a string of solid performances with the bat in the UAE leg of Indian Premier League 2021. The left-handed batsman registered three fifties in the tournament, one of them coming in the final against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings.
KKR lost the final, but Venkatesh managed to find himself a spot among the players who will stay back in the UAE with India's T20 World Cup squad to help the bowlers with their preparation.
This will be a great opportunity for the 23-year-old to learn a few tricks of the trade, just like he got the chance to learn a few things from CSK skipper Dhoni.
In a recent interaction with Insidesport, Iyer revealed his first meeting with Dhoni during the IPL.
“I could not talk to him, I was in complete awe. I just kept watching & observing him on the ground. He is exactly like what everyone describes about him. It was surreal to see him in front of me. He was so calm, so cool. From far I can make out how calmly he conducts himself, creates strategies that can change the course of the match. He is rightly called ‘captain cool',” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I could not talk to him, I was in complete awe. I just kept watching & observing him on the ground. He is exactly like what everyone describes about him. It was surreal to see him in front of me. He was so calm, so cool. From far I can make out how calmly he conducts himself, creates strategies that can change the course of the match. He is rightly called ‘captain cool',” he said.
{{/usCountry}}"I can’t describe, how happy I feel. I have been given this opportunity, I will contribute to the best of my abilities. I don’t know what future holds for me, I will just give my best whenever & in whatever way I am given a chance by the BCCI," Iyer concluded.