"Need to keep on upgrading yourself"- Venkatesh Iyer's mantra in cricket and in life
Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer didn't have the best of seasons with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2022. He was in and out of the side and was also made to bat in the middle order. The constant chop and change didn't bode well for the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder as he managed 182 runs in 12 matches at an average of 16.55.
With the subsequent comeback of Hardik Pandya into the Indian team, the team management has dropped Iyer from both ODI as well as T20I squads. But despite things not quite going his way, the all-rounder is focused on adding more to his game.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, Venkatesh Iyer spoke about how he looks at cricket just like anything else in life. He said:
"You need to keep on upgrading yourself, knowing what your game is but also at the same time adding to it. Not just in cricket, but even in life you just don't want days just passing by. You want to add value to it."
Working on my fitness, adding pace to my bowling: Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer also gave an important update on his bowling. He understands that he does not have express pace and might need to add a few yards to make his bowling more effective.
Surreal …. @BCCI #BleedBlue #attitudeadjustment #IndianCricket https://t.co/nAJLs0MHiK
But what was great to hear was the KKR all-rounder's motivation to go back and work on his basics rather than being disheartened about the snub. He stated:
"I am working on my fitness and also on my bowling so that I can add a few clicks to my pace. I always believe in coming back to the drawing board and working on my basics when things don't go my way. The ball hitting the middle of the bat is important for us cricketers and I am not thinking too much about what happened in the past or what is going to happen ahead."
Can Iyer make a successful return to the Indian squad sooner rather than later? Let us know in the comments.