IND vs NZ 2021: "The way Venkatesh Iyer bowled will give Rohit a lot more confidence" - Robin Uthappa

Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa reckons Venkatesh Iyer’s impressive performance with the ball in the third T20I against New Zealand will give skipper Rohit Sharma the confidence to utilize him in future situations.

The Men in Blue defeated the Kiwis by 73 runs in the final T20I of the series in Kolkata on Sunday. Venkatesh Iyer got his first opportunity to bowl in international cricket and did not disappoint. He bowled three overs for 12 runs and claimed the wicket of Adam Milne.

Reflecting on Venkatesh Iyer’s performance with the ball, Uthappa said during a discussion on ESPNCricinfo:

“The way Venkatesh Iyer bowled will give Rohit a lot more confidence to throw the ball to him in different situations in the future. I think it was a matter of Venkatesh Iyer earning Rohit’s respect as far as his bowling was concerned. With the way he bowled today, he actually did that.”

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori chipped in, stating that the long-term goal for India would be to figure out whether he fits into the scheme of things for the next T20 World Cup in Australia. Vettori explained:

“They have to reevaluate and (find out) if Venkatesh Iyer’s bowling is good enough in a place like Australia. They started that path today by actually giving him a bowl to see what he can do. Whether his all-round prowess can fit into the team moving forward towards that World Cup (remains to be seen).

26-year-old Venkatesh Iyer was picked as an all-round option for the T20I series against New Zealand ahead of Hardik Pandya. The latter had a forgettable T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. He battled fitness issues which prevented him from bowling regularly, thereby hurting India’s balance.

“He could have been a bit more circumspect” - Robin Uthappa on Venkatesh Iyer’s batting

Asked to evaluate Venkatesh Iyer’s overall performance in his debut international series, Uthappa expressed disappointment with the way the left-hander batted. He opined:

“Honestly, Venkatesh Iyer didn’t do himself any favors with the way he batted in the series. Possibly, he could have been a bit more circumspect in retrospect. But the fact that he bowled so well would give him a look in. You really want to put your hands up when you get an opportunity, like Deepak Chahar did today with the way he batted in those last eight balls.”

Venkatesh Iyer registered scores of 4, 12* and 20 in the three T20Is against New Zealand.