I was lucky to be batting alongside Virat Kohli – Venkatesh Iyer on special knock against PBKS

RCB has a strong batting unit featuring players like Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David among others, who can absolutely wreck the cricket ball. Slotting into the side isn't easy, yet the players know that one chance can turn into a tale of heroics.

Venkatesh Iyer wrote one such tale against Punjab Kings as he smashed 73* off just 40 balls in Himachal Pradesh to uplift RCB to their ninth win of the season. Iyer was also a part of a 60-run stand with Virat Kohli. Winning the Player of the Match award, Iyer opened up on him finally getting a chance to showcase his skillset. He also opened up on the chance to bat alongside Virat Kohli and what the opportunity felt like.

Reflecting on the chance that he got after a long wait, Iyer said, “I’d lie if I said that I was not frustrated or not wanting to play. I was really wanting to go out there and play because for players like us, it’s the opportunity to play in the IPL. We want to play, we want to do well. But I do understand, I’ve been here long enough to understand that this is a champion team and to tinker with the combination is not always right. But I always tried to create an impact on the coaching staff to make me play and I will deliver. I’m really happy that I got my opportunity.”

Explaining the dynamics of his innings and what it felt like to bat alongside Virat Kohli, Iyer said, “I think, yeah, it was scratchy at the beginning, but I was lucky to be batting alongside Virat Kohli. Obviously the mindset shift that he’s able to communicate to you. I think with all the legends of the game, one thing that stands out is the communication, that’s the key. If you’re able to communicate well with your partner because it’s two people out there scoring runs together for the team, so that was the key.”

He concluded by stating, “Yeah, absolutely. I’ve been playing here, but I played after a long time this season. I actually needed those first few balls just to get into the groove. Once I understood the wicket and I had the freedom to go after the bowling, then I think it was good for me.”