I didn’t expect this – Venkatesh Iyer on his maiden national call-up

India’s greenhorn batter Venkatesh Iyer expressed his surprise after he received his maiden call-up in the Indian squad for the series against New Zealand.

Iyer had impressed with his skills while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2021.

The opening southpaw batter scored 370 runs in 10 matches at an impressive average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 128.47 and thus played an instrumental role in taking KKR to the final of the tournament.

Furthermore, Iyer can also contribute with the ball and he scalped three wickets in four innings he bowled. The right-arm medium pacer conceded his runs at an economy rate of 8.11.

Thus, Iyer has been rewarded for his rich form and he is included in the T20I squad for the series against New Zealand. In fact, Iyer was also included as a net bowler for the T20 World Cup for the Indian team.

Speaking to TimesofIndia.com, Venkatesh Iyer called his India call-up a ‘dream’, saying: “I am so happy. I worked really hard for it. Honestly, I didn’t expect this. Every time when I go in the middle, I just want to perform and put up as many runs as possible for my team. I am really thankful to the selectors, captain, and all my seniors and coaches for this.”

“It is a dream of every cricketer to wear an India jersey someday and the day has come. I am so so happy. The words are not enough to describe the feeling. Avesh broke this big news to me.”

Iyer has the skills to end India’s all-rounder woes as he can contribute with the ball. The Madhya Pradesh player will look to hit the ground running and grab his chances for the national team.

“I am an allrounder. I will look forward to fitting in whatever role my team (India) would want from me. I am not thinking about the opposition at the moment. I am just looking forward to performing for my team,” he added.

Venkatesh Iyer continued: “I have learned to bat fearlessly. I always wanted to be a fearless batsman. I go out to bat with a lot of confidence. I am ready to bat at any position and bowl in any situation.”

Iyer added that he is really looking forward to playing under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma. India will take on New Zealand in the first T20I at Jaipur on November 17.