Mentor David Hussey lavishes praise on KKR’s new recruit Venkatesh; says the tall left-hander is a carbon copy of CSK’s ex-NZ skipper head coach Stephen
Venkatesh Iyer during his 55 against DC on Wednesday. Pic/BCCI; IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was just known as a Madhya Pradesh player prior to the UAE leg of IPL-14. However, Iyer has ended up with glowing tags like match-winner, finisher etc. On Wednesday, KKR mentor David Hussey referred to Iyer as a clone of former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, the head coach of their final opponent, Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Iyer, 26, has scored 320 runs in nine games in the IPL so far with an impressive average of 40.00. His match-winning 55 off 41 balls (4x4, 3x6) helped KKR chase Delhi Capitals’ 135-5 to win Qualifier 2 by three wickets with one ball to spare in Sharjah on Wednesday.
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David Hussey and Stephen Fleming
“Iyer is just a class player at the top. He is tall, a Stephen Fleming clone, I believe. He’s got a big future in the game,” Hussey said at the post-match virtual press conference.
The left-handed opener smashed 11 sixes and 32 fours in the tournament and Hussey looked quite impressed by Iyer’s attacking style. “We have found a player in Iyer. Not only is he a classy player, but also a wonderful person and team man. He struck the ball superbly from ball one. Some of those big sixes he hit changed the tempo of games and got us into winning positions,” Hussey remarked.
Iyer has played just 10 first-class matches and has experience of 47 T20 games, but thanks to his superb show in IPL-14, he has been included in the list of eight players to assist Team India during their preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE.
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