Venkatesh Iyer, the name which has been on the lips of the fans for the past couple of months, has made quite an interesting revelation regarding veteran India off-spinner and his Kolkata Knight Riders teammate Harbhajan Singh.
After making impressive performances in the second half of the IPL 2021, Venkatesh Iyer has been given his maiden India call-up for the upcoming home T20I series against New Zealand.
Venkatesh Iyer Revealed Harbhajan Singh Said He Would Be KKR’s Find In IPL 2021 Much Before He Played His 1st IPL Game
However, the left-handed opener has revealed that spinner Harbhajan Singh had predicted him to be KKR’s “find of the season” after watching him in just a couple of net sessions.
“One thing that Harbhajan Singh told me when the IPL began, after he saw me in just a couple of net sessions, when I wasn’t part of the set-up: ‘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’,” Venkatesh Iyer said.
Venkatesh Iyer did emerge to be KKR’s find of the season; the southpaw played a crucial role in reviving KKR’s season and launching them till the final. He scored 320 runs in 10 matches in the UAE leg, with the help of four fifties, including a half-century in the final vs CSK, but it wasn’t enough to see his side to the title.
Venkatesh Iyer Didn’t Believe Harbhajan Singh’s Early Comments Would Come Out To Be True
The 26-year-old said that he initially thought Harbhajan Singh was just boosting some confidence in him by praising the youngster.
“To be honest, I didn’t believe it. I thought, why is this guy telling me so much when he hasn’t even seen me in practice games? I thought he was just [being] a good person and comforting me. But I’m happy that it turned out to be slightly true. That’s something that warms my heart,” the all-rounder added.
It remains to be seen if Venkatesh Iyer gets to make his India debut against the Kiwis. Also, it would be interesting to see how he goes should he be given a middle-order slot in the all-rounder’s role in the absence of Hardik Pandya.
Venkatesh Iyer, who was a sensation in the second leg of the IPL 2021 in the UAE, has earned his maiden India call-up. Venkatesh Iyer scored 320 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.
India’s squad for New Zealand T20Is:
Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul (vc), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Harshal Patel, Mohd. Siraj