This is what the Indian Premier League does with cricketers. It makes a player famous overnight, turning him from none to national fame that almost everyone is talking about and commentators go gaga about his stroke or delivery.
The latest in this category is Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer. The 26-year-old Indore-born left-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer scored an unbeaten 41 off 27 balls on his IPL debut, making a modest stint at Royal Challengers Bangalore’s 92 in the company of India’s rising Test opener Shubman. Light work done. Gill is in Abu Dhabi on Monday night.
He may be a late bloomer in the IPL like his KKR teammate and unconventional slow bowler Varun Chakraborty, but Venkatesh has been making the right moves in the Madhya Pradesh cricket circle from his under-12 days. He would have set the Vijay Hazare Trophy on fire by scoring 198 for MP against Punjab in February this year, the last innings he played before facing RCB on Monday.
But those who have been following Venkatesh closely since his U-12 days in Indore have always believed that he will shine on the big stage. So, while he remained unbeaten and scored the winning run – a four-run pull over India’s T20 leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal – he was not surprised by his strokeplay.
One such former national selector and former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale, who has followed Venkatesh’s progress over the past decade and a half.
The most striking feature in Venkatesh’s first big game was his confidence. Being good at education, she passed the CA Intermediate exam and also did MBA (Finance), her faith in the game is gone. Jagdale cited Venkatesh’s self-confidence as an example.
“When I was the director of cricket in the MPCA two or three years ago, the Ranji Trophy selectors picked around 30 prospects. Venkatesh’s name was not in the list. I got a call from Venkatesh that he is undergoing treatment in the hospital for eight days. Trial matches of Ranji Trophy were after a week or 10 days. Venkatesh said that he is fit and if given a chance, he will make it to the Ranji team.
“One thing that has always impressed me, ever since I saw him from his under-12 days, is his attitude. He is determined to achieve excellence. He did well in the under-23 age group for MP. I spoke to Kirti Patel, who was then the chairman of the Ranji Trophy selection committee, and told him that the selectors should look at Venkatesh for the No.6 or No.7 slot and who can also bowl. They gave him a chance and asked him to play some trial matches. He was eventually selected in the Ranji Trophy team. He has always done well in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 and Vijay Hazare. Chandrakant Pandit opened him in the senior team.
Jagdale, who was part of the national selection committee that groomed Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the captain of the national team in limited overs, said: “From his younger days, Venkatesh has always been hard working and very confident and well behaved. His parents made a lot of sacrifices. They always encouraged him and sent him to play for local clubs.
Another aspect that Jagdale admires about Venkatesh is his hunger to succeed. “Apart from talent, you must have the hunger to succeed. For me, he always had that thing. He lacked fitness. But, in the last two years, he has been working on his fitness and is a much stronger person now. I have seen him work on his fitness as I also go to the MPCA gym.
Donning the national selector’s cap on whether he would pick Venkatesh in the Indian team, Jagdale said: “Not in the Indian team directly, but I will give him exposure. Its a nice package. You need such cricketers in the shorter version of the game. What I liked about him the best is that he constantly works on the areas that need improvement.”
Kolkata Knight Riders bought Venkatesh at this year’s auction for a base price of ₹20 lakh. But he has been on the radar of IPL teams.
Former MP Ranji Trophy coach, who is currently in charge of the Under-19 team, Mukesh Sahni said that even before Venkatesh’s 198 in Vijay Hazare, he was being looked after by IPL franchise scouts. “He was called for trial even before he could score 198. He was also called for the trial of Delhi Capitals. That 198, a brilliant innings gave him a boost,” said Sawhney.
Sawhney said that Venkatesh was a wicketkeeper-batsman when he also advised him to bowl before starting. “You’ll get to see more of him. He’s a good timer of the ball, he’s got a good cricketing mind and he’s very hungry to perform. He’s got a good chance at the top of the order.”
Speaking of Venkatesh’s confidence, former Honorary Joint Secretary of MPCA Sandeep Mungre recalled some examples from Venkatesh’s early days. “Academically, Venkatesh is a very strong boy. It also made him mentally strong while playing cricket. He had gone to Nagpur for the BCCI tournament when his parents informed him that he had an interview with Deloitte International the next day. He immediately caught a bus from Nagpur and the next day gave an interview in Indore. His turn in the interview came late in the afternoon and he got selected. One of the interviewers asked him why he was in a hurry as he was selected for the job. He said that he has to go to Nagpur the next day for a match. He took the bus to Nagpur that night and scored a century, almost 150. Ultimately he was selected for Madhya Pradesh.
Mungre has been Venkatesh’s neighbor since his birth after Iyer relocated from Dewas, an industrial town 40 km from Indore. Mungre said that in the colony where Venkatesh grew up, he is known by his pet name Sairam. He has also seen how much Venkatesh’s parents have struggled while encouraging their son to take up cricket.
Mungre recalled: “Venkatesh was so fond of cricket that, especially in summers, he would get out of bed to play cricket with his bat. His father (Rajasekaran Iyer) could not take him to the club to play cricket, but his mother (Usha Iyer) would take pains to take him to different places, be it summer or winter, to play cricket and nets. “
Mungre said that one of Venkatesh’s strong points is his time management skills, which he picked up from his mother. “In a Deloitte interview, Venkatesh was asked how he works between his studies and cricket and still does well in both. She told that she learned from her mother, who worked in a private hospital, worked in two shifts, took her for cricket and dropped her home before going on duty herself. “
Mungre reiterated Jagdale’s point when he spoke about Venkatesh’s confidence that took him a long way. “Four years ago, during the four-day Ranji Trophy trial matches, Venkatesh called to say that his uncle had passed away and he had to perform the last rites. He traveled to Dewas, performed the last rites and returned to play the match. That’s his devotion to the game.”
Another Indore official who knows Venkatesh well and plays in inter-divisional tournaments is Rajeev Risodkar, a former BCCI umpire. Risodkar is of the view that Venkatesh is more suited for limited overs cricket. “He is a street-smart cricketer. He will not lose his wicket so easily. He’s got that Caribbean flavor in his stroke play and also bowls at a good pace, which reduces six-seven overs.”
After making a mark at the very beginning of his IPL career, there will be more to hear about Venkatesh in the days to come. The disadvantage of CA and MBA is the advantage of cricket at the moment.
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