Venkatesh Iyer and his tryst with the IPL dream

Imagine this: a young individual has done everything humanly possible to attune himself/herself to the nuances of accounting and has also cleared the Integrated Professional Competence Course (IPCC) exam – a pre-requisite before becoming a Chartered Accountant.

Then, another voice inside the individual suggests that an MBA in Finance is the next step forward in a promising accounting career – a degree that would eventually fetch that individual a lucrative offer from a major accounting firm ala Deloitte. Everything that he/she worked for is becoming a reality and not just remaining conjecture. Life is good then, eh?

Picture a young cricketer – one who aspires to play the sport he/she so passionately follows and ensures that it becomes their livelihood. Here, the ultimate dream is to begin their career as a professional cricketer, then move through the ranks to make a mark in the IPL, replicate a certain Sourav Ganguly and ultimately, don the India blue.

Seems a clear plan but one that will, inevitably, be riddled with several obstacles. Yet, there is enough conviction to suggest that it could fall into place someday and that the dream might just come true, after all.

Now, is there a way both the aforementioned narratives can get intertwined with each other? An avenue that helps the accounting geek achieve extraordinary stardom via cricket?

Well, that’s where the IPL comes in – a platform where, as the words imbibed on the trophy indicate, talent meets opportunity – the talent of an accountant striving to be a top-grade cricketer and the opportunity to show the world that this stage, rather than the air-conditioned office in another sky-scraping building in a metropolitan city, belongs to him/her.

Prima facie, the aforementioned plot could form the crux of an awe-inspiring, heroic sports movie. A youngster has managed to battle all odds, has overcome his/her fear of wanting a safe and secure mode of earning and then has accomplished immortality on the cricketing field.

On closer inspection, it is perhaps what Venkatesh Iyer’s story is all about. And, yes, this is a story that had been brewing but one that has only premiered over the past few days and has, of course, become an instant hit and struck a chord of relatability like no other.

Venkatesh Iyer has burst onto the scene this IPL

To put things into context, Venkatesh Iyer has probably changed the manner in which the Kolkata Knight Riders have batted in the second phase of the IPL.

While it would be ludicrous to suggest that one individual has had so much impact that he has enabled KKR to shed their inhibitions, it is certainly remarkable how Venkatesh Iyer’s pyrotechnics at the top seem to have transformed KKR from just another also-ran to a worthy top four contender.

Speaking of Venkatesh Iyer, there is a lot to like about him. He goes about his cricket with the minimal of fuss and exudes clarity that has remained elusive for several more experienced cricketers.

In fact, it was quite revealing when Eoin Morgan quipped that Venkatesh Iyer was batting like a seasoned IPL campaigner. Remember, it was the second time Venkatesh Iyer was playing in the competition, meaning that the praise he has earned, along with his performances, has been nothing short of incredible.

Apart from that, it is very easy and convenient to forget what Venkatesh Iyer did prior to the second half of the IPL. Before the game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, Venkatesh Iyer’s last white-ball competitive innings had seen him pummel 198 against Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Interestingly, he was run out in that fixture in the 47th over, hinting that he might well have gotten past the 200-run barrier had he not endured a slight rush of blood. But then again, as Venkatesh Iyer has already taught us, he seems inclined to live by the sword even if it means dying by it, at times.

In that encounter against Punjab, Venkatesh Iyer – a medium pacer, also managed figures of 4-0-24-2 – something that India might want to revisit, considering Hardik Pandya gets injured every time he thinks of playing nowadays and also because the likes of Shivam Dube and Vijay Shankar haven’t really quenched India’s thirst for a pace-bowling all-rounder.

At this juncture, though, it might be best for all parties to not look too much into the future and retain equanimity in the moment. Venkatesh Iyer, for all he has already conquered, is still only two games old and is yet to undergo the phase where bowlers work him out and begin bowling to his weaknesses.

There is also a question mark over how consistent he can be, especially if he keeps professing the brand of batting he has done so far. Though Brendon McCullum and Morgan seem prepared for that contingency, it would still be interesting to see how Venkatesh Iyer reacts when such troughs come about.

For now, though, it seems more prudent to just enjoy the kind of upward trajectory Venkatesh Iyer has charted, just a few years after seemingly being destined for an accounting job. He may not be auditing accounts anymore but certainly seems to be keeping a keen eye on other numbers, namely the run-rate, the strike rate and the number of balls required to make an impact.

Venkatesh Iyer has taken the IPL by storm (Pic Credits: Rediff)

The IPL has only reiterated that it remains the platform where raw talent meets unprecedented opportunities. While the scheduling of the event in an already crammed international calendar has raised a few eyebrows (rightly so too), there can be no denying that the IPL has allowed for individuals such as Venkatesh Iyer to call the world a stage. And, perform a role distinctly different to what he may have envisioned when preparing for and clearing his IPCC exam.

From that perspective, Venkatesh Iyer is truly living life in the fast lane and is chuffed that life is good – just like he had imagined all those years ago, but with a slight cricketing twist.

Perhaps it also illustrates that fairy tales in sport, especially when intertwined with the IPL, do exist!