[Watch] Venkatesh Iyer celebrates hundred in Rajnikanth style in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021-22
All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer once again drew the limelight by hitting a majestic 88-ball century against Chandigarh in the 2021-22 Vijay Hazare Trophy on Sunday.
But what followed this feat was even more special. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder celebrated his second ton of the tournament in the style of Rajinikanth, mimicking the superstar actor's trademark 'Salute' and sunglasses scenes from his movies.
This was Iyer's way of paying a birthday tribute to 'Thalaiva', who turns 71 today.
Here's a video of the celebration, as shared by Venkatesh Iyer's IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders:
Our Sunday couldn't get any better! 😍
Can you decode @ivenkyiyer2512's celebration? 🤔
#VijayHazareTrophy #MPvUTCA #KKR #AmiKKR #CricketTwitter
https://t.co/7wpLMKEJ44
Born into a Tamil-speaking family in Indore, Venkatesh Iyer is a huge fan of Rajinikanth, often talking about the actor's impact on his life on various public platforms. He had told ESPNcricinfo in one such interview:
"A Thalaivar devotee. I can watch his movies 'n' number of times. He's a legend."
Coming to the match, Venkatesh Iyer came to bat when the MP team was reeling at 56-4. He took them to a respectable total with his century and then went on to add 51 more runs to conclude at 151 off 113.
The knock, which included eight fours and 10 maximums, was more than half of MP's final total of 331-9.
The 26-year-old has been in red-hot form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. His 348 runs from just four innings with an average of 87 and strike rate of 138.64 are only behind Ruturaj Gaikwad.
At the time of writing (Chandigarh's innings is still on), he has also picked up seven wickets with his medium pace in the 50-over competition.
Venkatesh Iyer set to be included in India's ODI squad for the South Africa tour
Venkatesh Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad set to be included in the India ODI team for the South Africa tour. (Source - PTI)
While he has already proved his mettle against the world's best players in the recently concluded IPL 2021, Iyer has now also shown that he has the consistency and temperament to play big knocks in the middle order.
And if media reports are to be believed, his showing is set to earn him his maiden call-up to India's ODI team.
A BCCI official confirmed the same to PTI on Sunday, saying:
"Venkatesh is surely going to South Africa. He is bowling 9 or 10 overs in every game and with Hardik [Pandya] still recuperating, it is the best time to give him chance and get him battle ready for the bigger events ahead."
Venkatesh Iyer was recently retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the next three years. If he's able to sustain this flight, we might as well see him batting and bowling for India in the 2023 World Cup at home.