Venkatesh Iyer Reflects on Match-Winning Innings, Says KKR Needed Him Till the End in Historic Victory Against MI at Wankhede

Kolkata Knight Riders registered a historic 24-run win over Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede in Mumbai on Friday, ending their 12-year quest for victory at the holy ground in the ongoing Indian Premier League season. Venkatesh Iyer led KKR’s batting performance with an innings of 70 that took KKR to a total of 169, before four wickets from Mikel Starc bowled out the hosts for just 145 to claim all the points on offer. KKR got off to a poor start as they lost the wickets of Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi early in the game and opted to bring in Manish Pandey as an impact player in place of the teenage Raghuvanshi.

The move paid dividends as Venkatesh and Manish put on a strong 83-run partnership that proved decisive. Player of the match, Venkatesh touched on the need for flexibility as a cricketer and the ability to adapt to different situations. “As a professional cricketer, I have to be flexible in terms of the situation. When I started hitting the ball well, two more wickets fell and I thought I have to play the role of anchor,” said the southpaw. He also touched on Manish’s solid nature in the role of anchor, which proved to be very important for the team from Kolkata that day.

“This is the fourth or fifth time Manish has padded up. This time he had to bat. Instead of sending Russell and Ramandeep to the top, it is better to have Manish who can play the role of anchor,” he said. He revealed that the wicket was more sticky and the ball was catching a bit instead of coming onto the bat.

“The ball was catching and it was a two-pace wicket.”

He added that he would have preferred a more aggressive approach, however, citing the needs of the team and the situation they found themselves in, it would have been better to extend his time at the crease. “I try to be a smart cricketer. It was easy for me to go after Piyush Chawla and the fast bowlers. But, the team needs me to be there till the end,” he expressed. The southpaw was seen exchanging words with Delhi Capitals’ director of cricket after KKR’s previous match against the capital city. He revealed that he is a big fan of Prince of Kolkata and asked the former Indian skipper for technical advice, which turned out to be a fruitful choice. “I have been a big fan of Dada. I went to ask him about my attitude and technical aspects,” said the 29-year-old. “It was a fruitful conversation. It’s coming into my attitude and other aspects of the net,” he signed off.