Robin Uthappa has stated he is a bit surprised that newly-appointed skipper Rohit Sharma hasn’t tried out Venkatesh Iyer as a bowling option in the first two T20Is against New Zealand. However, he added that it is too early to form an opinion of Rohit Sharma’s captaincy as he has just begun his journey as a full-time leader in international cricket.
Venkatesh Iyer was brought in as a replacement for all-rounder Hardik Pandya, whose fitness woes hurt Team India’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. But the 26-year-old hasn’t bowled in the T20I series against New Zealand.
Robin Uthappa: Rohit Sharma Isn’t Thinking Of 6th Bowling Option
Robin Uthappa analyzed the decision following India’s seven-wicket triumph over the Kiwis in the second T20I in Ranchi. Robin Uthappa, who plays for CSK in IPL, said that Rohit Sharma is perhaps thinking on the lines that he doesn’t need a sixth bowling option as of now.
Robin Uthappa elaborated: “It is a bit mysterious as to why Venkatesh Iyer isn’t bowling or isn’t being tried as the sixth bowler. Maybe Rohit feels he doesn’t need a sixth bowler and Venkatesh Iyer is playing purely as a batter.”
Robin Uthappa further pointed out that Rohit Sharma’s mindset as captain is something that will get clearer the more he leads the Indian team.
The 36-year-old explained: “We are very early into this understanding of who Rohit is as a captain. As time passes, we will get a better understanding of what he wants to achieve and want kind of a captain he is. We need to give these guys (Rohit and Rahul Dravid) a little bit of time to understand what their mindset is and how they are looking at taking things forward.”
Venkatesh Iyer was dismissed for 4 on his T20I debut. Promoted to No. 3 in Friday’s game, he returned unbeaten on 12 from 11 balls. Venkatesh Iyer, a sensation in the second leg of the IPL 2021 in the UAE, earned his maiden India call-up. Venkatesh Iyer scored 370 runs in 10 games at an average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 128.47, including four half-centuries. He finished as KKR’s fourth-highest run-scorer.
Daniel Vettori: Ravichandran Ashwin Is Going To Be Part Of T20I Team Going Forward
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori backed Robin Uthappa over Rohit Sharma’s decision to not give the ball to Venkatesh Iyer. According to him, Rohit Sharma and head coach Rahul Dravid perhaps don’t want to experiment just for the sake of it.
Daniel Vettori stated: “This is about Rohit’s captaincy rather than the playing XI and finding the style that he wants to play. Rahul and Rohit don’t want to bowl Venkatesh Iyer because it might just be at a crucial time and he might go for 20 runs. They don’t want to put themselves in a position just for the sake of seeing a bowler.”
Reviewing India’s performance, he added that Ravichandran Ashwin’s success on his comeback to the T20 squad has made life tougher for Yuzvendra Chahal. After being overlooked for the first two games, both of which India lost in the T20I World Cup, off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was finally brought into the playing XI after a hiatus of 4 years in T20Is and was the standout spinner for Team India in the three matches he played in the Super 12 stage.
Daniel Vettori said: “What they (India) have found out is that Ashwin is going to be part of the T20 team going forward. With Ashwin bowling so well, it probably pushes Chahal to the background a little bit.”
Chasing 154, India cantered to victory in 17.2 overs, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. MOM debutant pacer Harshal Patel conceded just 25 in his four overs and took the wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, both caught in the deep.
The spin prodigy Ravichandran Ashwin was impressive in the UAE during the recently-concluded T20I World Cup, In the three outings, he scalped six wickets and maintained an economy of 5.25. The 35-year old made similar noteworthy outings in the opening two games against NZ, where he returned with figures 4-0-23-2 and 4-0-19-1.