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‘I could play 20-20 World Cup’ – Star Indian cricketer expresses his disappointment on not being selected in the squad

All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was brought into the Indian team last year after having a successful second half of the Indian T20 League 2021. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder was touted as the replacement for the star all-rounder Hardik Pandya who was suffering from a back injury. However, since Pandya’s emphatic return to international cricket, Iyer has been side-lined and lost his place in the Indian team.

Recently, the 27-year-old expressed his disappointment on not being part of the 20-20 World Cup.

“When I was called into the Indian cricket team, I felt I could play in the 20-20 World Cup and then I was not there. That really hurt me. I don’t want to put myself in a position to think about something which is really far away from me. If things are to happen, they will happen. The only thing in my hands is to stick to the process, get better every day and leave the rest to god,” Iyer revealed in an exclusive interview with Cricketnext.com.

Iyer represented India in nine T20Is scoring 133 runs at an average of 33.35 and a strike rate of 162.19. He also picked up 5 wickets in the format at an average of 15. He further played two ODIs where he scored 24 runs with the bat. In the 11 matches he played for India in both formats Iyer only bowled 14 overs in total.

I would love to bat 20 overs : Venkatesh Iyer

On being asked whether he felt under-bowled during his stint with the Indian team, the all-rounder said, “To be honest, I did feel a bit under-bowled. But when I think of it from the captain’s perspective, and I have led my state sides in the past, you know when the five bowlers are doing the job then it is not really necessary to use the sixth bowling option.”

“It’s a great cushion to have but when the five bowlers are doing the job then the captain need not look at the sixth bowling option. And that’s what Rohit bhai did. From an individual point of view, I would love to bat 20 overs and bowl my four overs but that really is not possible,” he added.

After taking the Indian T20 League 2021 by storm, Iyer had a forgettable season in 2022. Ahead of the mini-auction in December, Venkatesh Iyer has been retained by the Kolkata Franchise and the all-rounder will look to make a great comeback next year.