All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who got his maiden ODI call for the upcoming South Africa series, is quite excited to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli. Iyer made his international debut against New Zealand last month but Kohli was rested for that series.
After making his international debut against New Zealand in the T20I series, Venkatesh Iyer returned to domestic cricket and he scored 327 runs in 6 matches with a strike rate of 133.92 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He also contributed with the ball as the right arm seamer picked 9 wickets with an economy of 5.75.
Venkatesh Iyer made his T20I debut against New Zealand on November 2020
Now the 27-year old is eying to make a mark in ODIs as India has started preparing for the 2023 ODI World Cup to be held in India.
“I am really happy. I am really looking forward to another challenge and want to win the series for my team. I am really happy and excited to play against South Africa. South African conditions are challenging and I am ready to take on this challenge,” Iyer told ToI in an interview.
Iyer is also excited to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli as he wants to discuss the South Africa conditions and experience with Virat Kohli. He is also looking forward to playing under the leadership of KL Rahul who will captain the side in absence of Rohit Sharma.
“We have players in our team who have played a lot of cricket in South Africa, be it Tests and limited overs. I want to discuss the conditions and experience with Virat Bhai.
“What the conditions are like, how the pitches behave, and of course his personal experience. It will help me acclimatize to the conditions quickly. I am looking forward to learning from all the players in the team,” he said.
“KL (Rahul) is a good leader. I won my debut series under Rohit bhai. I am really excited to play under KL. He is a different kind of captain and I look forward to learning a lot on this tour. I am sure KL will take us to a series win,” he said.
In his debut T20I series, he got limited opportunity to bat and he also bowled just 3 overs in 3-match series. Iyer caught everyone’s attention when he scored 370 runs in 10 games in the last IPL season as he was introduced in the UAE leg.
The ODI series between India and South Africa will begin on January 19 at Paarl.
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