IPL 2022: I pay no heed to them – Venkatesh Iyer on comparison with Hardik Pandya

Since Venkatesh Iyer shot himself into the limelight in the previous season of the Indian Premier League, as expected, comparisons between him and Hardik Pandya have become a norm. However, the left-hander from Madhya Pradesh has revealed that he pays no heed to these comparisons and wants to concentrate on his game.

Iyer played an instrumental role in taking Kolkata Knight Riders to the final as he scored 370 runs in 10 matches of the previous season at an average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 128.47. Iyer can also bowl medium pace and has done a decent job thus far.

After his impressive run in the IPL, Iyer received a maiden national call-up but he was given a different role of finishing the innings by Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid. The southpaw was able to do justice to it as he has scored 133 runs in nine T20Is at an average of 33.25 and he has also scalped five wickets.

Ergo, Iyer has boosted his chances of making it to the World T20 squad and if he can have a good IPL for KKR, then he will definitely be in the reckoning.

On the other hand, Hardik Pandya has been out of action since the 2021 T20 World Cup and he will be leading Gujarat Titans in the upcoming IPL. Pandya will have a point to prove as he will be making his comeback after a long time.

“As a cricketer, I have huge respect for Hardik Bhai for what he has done for India. It is unbelievable. I am a huge admirer of Hardik Bhai. These comparisons are very natural, but I pay no heed to them,” Iyer was quoted as saying by Times of India.

“I am ready for any position and situation. As a professional cricketer, I have always maintained that I need to be very flexible. We have to understand that we are entering a team where there is cut-throat competition and that too for every role and for every player. There are not just a couple of players ready to replace you, there are hundreds in numbers, waiting,” said Iyer.

Iyer will look to be at his best for KKR and live up to the expectations of the franchise as he was retained before the IPL 2022 mega auctions.

KKR will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium on 26th March.