'Have to be as Good as Hardik Pandya, I’m Nowhere Close': Star Allrounder Targets India Comeback

Venkatesh Iyer feels he still has a long distance to go before he can rub shoulders with someone like Hardik Pandya whom he considers as the top allrounder in the Indian team currently. Iyer had a meteoric rise following a stellar IPL 2021 season after which he was included in the Indian team but it has been more than a year now since his last appearance for the Men in Blue.

Iyer was part of the team for the 2021 T20 World Cup, but his last match in an Indian shirt came way back in February 2022, during a T20I match against Sri Lanka. Since then, a lot has happened, the Indore-born cricketer smashed Kolkata Knight Riders’ first century since Brendon McCullum did in the inaugural IPL season.

Iyer smashed 189 runs in the first four games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy last year, before suffering an unfortunate injury as he broke his ankle having fallen off the staircase at the team hotel.

In short, the year 2023 has been a roller-coaster ride for Iyer and he is working hard to regain his place in the Indian team with an aim to improve his bowling.

“In India, there is a problem of plenty. And then when you look at Hardik, he’s got the skills to be India’s top all-rounder. And if I have to cement my place in the 11, I have to be as good as him, which I’m nowhere close to at this point of time,” Iyer told Sportskeeda.

“This is the honest truth and I have to accept that. But I’ll be working towards it. And once I’m confident of my bowling, then I think I can contribute in all the departments. It’s just about my bowling which I’m really working hard on,” he added.

When quizzed about how he plans to make his comeback, the 28-year-old said he’s not putting himself under any pressure –  simply seeking to regain full fitness and give his best, and results will follow.

“I am absolutely not thinking of a comeback. I played in the Indian team when I didn’t think about it. So I want to keep it that way. The more pressure I add on myself, the more I would go away from my process,” said Iyer.

“The only thing in mind is to become the 100 percent fit cricketer that I always was – to bat and bowl in full capacity. And that will happen when I play more and more domestic games. So the current focus is to represent MP. Once I can look in the mirror and say, ‘I am ready to represent India’, only then I’ll think about it,” he added.