Venkatesh Iyer scored unbeated 12 in Ranchi against New Zealand.
Former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan believes that India’s move to promote Venkatesh Iyer to No.3 in the batting order in the second T20I against New Zealand proved that the Men in Blue have already started thinking about the next year’s ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
Iyer was handed a maiden call up to the Team India squad for the ongoing three-match T20I series against New Zealand following his brilliant performance for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2021, where the all-rounder amassed 370 runs and scalped three wickets in 10 games.
The 26-year-old made his India debut in the first T20I in Jaipur, where he scored 4 runs batting at No.6 against New Zealand. However, the buzz around Iyer’s talent prompted the team management to take the number three position in the second T20I on Friday, November 19, in Ranchi.
However, the left-hander could face only 11 deliveries and scored unbeaten on 12, including two fours, as India won the game by 7 wickets inside 18 overs in Ranchi to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the T20I series against the Black Caps on Friday. In the match, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul both smashed fifties in the game.
Reacting to India’s proactive move, Zaheer was elated that Iyer got the chance to bat at number three and said it is a good sign for India that they have started thinking about T20 World Cup 2022.
Zaheer told Cricbuzz, “The move to promote Venkatesh Iyer to No.3 when the opportunity arose proves that India is already thinking about the next T20 World Cup.”
He concluded, “Had they not done something like that, then you could have said that they missed an opportunity. It was definitely a proactive move by the management keeping the future in mind.”