[Watch] Venkatesh Iyer's first net session for Lancashire ahead of county stint
Indian batting all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer enjoyed his first net session after joining Lancashire on July 30 ahead of his maiden English county stint. The 29-year-old will feature for Lancashire in the ongoing One Day Cup and two matches of the County Championship.
While it was initially expected that Iyer would play in Lancashire's outing against Kent on July 28, his late arrival means his first match will likely be against Derbyshire on July 31.
Ahead of Iyer's Lancashire debut, the county's social media handle shared glimpses of his net session while announcing his arrival.
Here is the video of the same:
While Iyer will play the entire One Day Cup except the final (on September 22) should Lancashire make it that far, he will play only two of their remaining five County Championship encounters.
This is due to India's domestic season kicking off with the Duleep Trophy on September 5.
Lancashire have lost their opening two One Day Cup clashes to Durham and Kent. The side are seventh in the ten-team County Championship table with 101 points from nine outings.
"Incredibly excited to head over to England" - Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer expressed his excitement at making his debut in English county cricket and playing for Lancashire. Iyer's Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) teammate in IPL 2024, Phil Salt, was instrumental in the county picking the left-handed batter.
After the news broke, Iyer said in a statement as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
"I am incredibly excited to head over to England and to have the opportunity to play county cricket for the first time in my career. Lancashire is a very historic county with a long history of welcoming Indian players to their Club."
He added:
"To test my skills in both one-day and first-class cricket in English conditions is going to really benefit my game. I hope that I can entertain the fans and help my Lancashire team-mates to achieve their targets in both formats this summer."
Iyer has played nine T20Is and two ODIs for India, scoring 157 runs and picking up five wickets. He boasts an impressive domestic record with over 5,000 runs across formats, including six centuries and 31 half-centuries.