Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], March 20 : Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who will be the vice-captain of defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season, recalled how he learnt a lesson to focus on the present to deliver results.
KKR will kickstart their title defence journey in IPL 2025 with a clash against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Iyer will be one of the players in the spotlight as the deputy to skipper Ajinkya Rahane was bought back by KKR for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore. Over the years, he has delivered several notable performances for the Knights ever since his debut in 2021.
He recalled a valuable lesson imparted to him by the team owner and Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.
"In 2022, there were talks about me being in the [T20] World Cup squad. Instead of focusing on my present matches, I started thinking about the World Cup. In the end, I missed out on both. That experience was a turning point. It taught me the value of focusing on the present, a lesson reinforced when an injury sidelined me for six to eight months. That phase taught me a lot about being grateful. Sometimes, in the pursuit of something extraordinary, we forget to appreciate what we already have. And these are not my words--Shah Rukh Khan told me this," Iyer said to Boria Majumdar on Backstage with Boria season 6.
Venkatesh had a fantastic IPL season 2021, making his debut for KKR. In 10 matches, he made 370 runs at an average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 128.47, with four fifties. He also took three wickets with his useful medium pace.
A fine IPL season brought Venkatesh to the senior team as he made his debut in November 2021 as star all-rounder Hardik Pandya struggled through injuries and needed someone to back him up. In nine T20Is and seven innings, he made 133 runs at an average of 33.25, with a strike rate of over 162 and best score of 35*, picked up five wickets. In two ODIs, he scored 24 runs in two innings, with best score of 22. He has not played a game for India since February 2022.
In 51 matches for KKR, he has made 1,326 runs at an average of 31.57 and a strike rate of over 137, with a century and 11 fifties in 49 innings to his name. His best score is 104. He has also taken three wickets.
During the title-winning season of 2024, Venkatesh played a key hand with his 370 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and a strike rate of 158.79, with four half-centuries. His best score was 70. He was the third-highest run-getter for KKR and scored half-century in playoffs and the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).