Venkatesh Iyer is going through a good time since turning up for Kolkata Knight Riders in the second leg of the Indian Premier League 2021 in the UAE. He was a vital cog in KKR’s resurgence in the second leg as they finished as the runners up in the IPL 2021.
Venkatesh Iyer was rewarded for his IPL heroics with a national call-up for the T20I series against New Zealand, where he made his international debut during the 1st T20I in Jaipur. He played a vital role in India’s five-wicket win as well when he hit a boundary on the first ball of his international career before getting out on the next ball.
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He revealed that KKR teammate and Indian legend Harbhajan Singh had predicted his emergence even before he made IPL debut.
“Harbhajan Singh told me straight to my face when the IPL began. I was not even a part of the set-up and he saw me in a couple of net sessions. He told me ‘you will be KKR’s find this season; I have complete faith in you and when you get the opportunity, you will definitely be able to do it’,” Iyer told ESPNcricinfo.
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“And to be honest, I did not believe that. I was like why is this guy telling me so much when he hasn’t even seen me bat in practice games. I thought that it was just the good person inside him telling me, comforting me; but I am really happy that it turned out to be slightly true. So that was something that really warmed my heart,” the 26-year-old added.
The second T20I will be played in Ranchi on November 19. India are leading the three-match series by 1-0.
