'I Did Feel A Bit Under-Bowled...' - Indian T20 Star Opens Up On Team India Comeback, Reveals Rahul Dravid's Advice

India are toiling hard for the three-match ODI series to be played against New Zealand set to get underway on November 25, Friday and Shikhar Dhawan, who lead the team to victory against West Indies in their own backyard earlier this year, is all set to wear the captaincy hat yet again.

As things stand, the Indian fans are witnessing a backend revamp and as the first step, the entire selection committee led by Chetan Sharma was sacked on November 18. The selectors were criticised for not sticking to one player and also for backing players who were not up to the mark in the international arena.

Amongst the players who faded away from the radar, Venkatesh Iyer, the Indian allrounder, was the one who was snubbed from the side despite his good outings. However, the southpaw opened up on the same and said that he hopes to make a comeback at the earliest.

When captain, coach back you, job becomes easier: Venkatesh Iyer

Further, Iyer said that both the coach and the captain backed him and eventually gave him the cushion when he was tasked to bat down the order, as the allrounder was brought in as the replacement for Hardik Pandya prior to the Asia Cup and the 20-20 World Cup 2022.

“When I got into the team, I looked at the team and saw three openers already there. Rohit bhai, KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan were already there. So I knew I am not going to open. And then when I met Rahul sir and he asked me how I used to approach the innings when I used to open and it was communicated to me that I will play the role of a finisher,” Iyer was quoted as saying to CricketNext.

“Whenever someone gives you a new role, they also give you a cushion. That was done. Rohit bhai and Rahul sir told me that I would be given a string of games to try and execute that role. And once you have the captain and coach’s backing, the job becomes all the easier,” said the allrounder further.

“To be honest, I did feel a bit under-bowled. But when I think of it from the captain’s perspective, and I have led my state sides in the past, you know when the five bowlers are doing the job then it is not really necessary to use the sixth bowling option. It’s a great cushion to have but when the five bowlers are doing the job then the captain need not look at the sixth bowling option. And that’s what Rohit bhai did. From an individual point of view, I would love to bat 20 overs and bowl my four overs but that really is not possible,” he added.