Watch: Venkatesh Iyer Receives Debut India Cap From New Skipper Rohit Sharma Ahead of First Match Against New Zealand
Venkatesh Iyer's performance with the bat and ability to bowl medium pace brought him into the limelight and itresultedin himbeing named in India's squad for the T20I series against New Zealand.
It was a proud moment for all-rounder for Venkatesh Iyer as he received his maiden T20I cap ahead of the first T20I between India and New Zealand at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday. The all-rounder was one of the top-performers for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season, where the two-time champions lost out to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final. His performance with the bat and ability to bowl medium pace brought him into the limelight and it resulted in him being named in India's squad for the T20I series against New Zealand.
Venkatesh received his cap from newly appointed T20I captain Rohit Sharma. The moment was shot by BCCI and posted on its Twitter handle with the caption, "A moment to cherish for @ivenkyiyer2512 as he makes his #TeamIndia debut."
The grin says it all! 😊
— BCCI (@BCCI) November 17, 2021
A moment to cherish for @ivenkyiyer2512 as he makes his #TeamIndia debut. 👏 👏#INDvNZ @Paytm pic.twitter.com/2cZJWZBrXf
"Everyone who plays cricket aspires to play for the country, so I feel good that I've been presented with this opportunity. I think Rahul (Dravid) sir is an absolute legend, a stalwart of the game so it's good to play under him. This is my first time with, not just with Team India, but also Rahul sir as well so I'm really excited and looking forward to learn a lot from him," Venkatesh Iyer said after receiving his debut cap.
Rohit Sharma has spoken about the need to assign specific roles to players, and when asked about his role in the team, the all-rounder said that he believed in being flexible.
"As a cricketer you got to be flexible, and I'll look to capitalise on the role I've been assigned. I'm ready to bat at any position, or bowl whenever I've been asked to," he said.
Rohit Sharma
India Cricket Team
New Zealand Cricket Team