Kolkata, Apr 4: Kolkata Knight Riders vice-captain Venkatesh Iyer believes his Rs 23.75 crore price tag doesn’t mean he has to score heavily in every game, stressing that his focus is on making a meaningful impact for the team.
Re-signed by KKR using the Right to Match card at the mega auction, Iyer became the franchise’s most expensive signing and the third costliest player in IPL in November.
But he had a lukewarm start to the new season, managing just 9 runs in the first two games as talks began to grow over the justification of his hefty price.
“I won’t lie, there is a little pressure.You guys talk so much. But being the highest-paid player (in KKR) does not mean I have to make runs in every match,” Iyer said candidly at the post-match press conference.
“It’s about how I am winning for the team and what impact I am able to make. The pressure is not about how much money I am getting or how many runs I have to make. That’s never been the pressure on me,” he said firmly.
Dispelling doubts over both his form and price tag Iyer responded in style as he smashed his way to a 29-ball 60 that powered KKR to an 80-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday.
Asked whether the pressure of being the highest-paid player in KKR had finally been lifted, Iyer smiled and tossed the question back.
“You tell me? The pressure will be released when… I keep saying this: After starting the IPL, it doesn’t matter if you’re getting 20 lakh or 20 crore. I’m a player of the team who wants to contribute to the team’s victory.”
“Sometimes there will be very tricky situations where my job will be to play out some overs, and even if I do that and don’t score runs, I have worked for my team.”
There has been much debate around that Eden Gardens pitch not suiting KKR’s spin-heavy bowling attack. Against SRH, the hosts got a drier surface with variable bounce and some grip to back their strengths.
“It was a good competitive pitch. We bowled very well. We had a par score on Eden. We have used the conditions and the pitch well.
“I never believe that the pitch should be like this or that. We are professional cricketers. So obviously we will adjust to it. But yes, if we get what we want in our home, it will be great for us,” Iyer said.
Before this match, KKR had lost two out of their first three games, with their explosive middle order coming under scrutiny for reckless shot selection.
They had suffered batting collapses against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Mumbai Indians.
Iyer insisted that KKR has never endorsed the “fearless” brand of cricket, instead priding themselves on a calculated aggression.
“The basic meaning of aggression is showing a positive intent. It’s about showing positive but correct intent. Aggression does not mean tonking every ball for sixes.”
“It’s about how you understand the conditions, how you are able to maximise the conditions in your favour. That is what we as a team want to play.
In what seemed like a subtle dig at the Sunrisers — who scored a record 286/6 earlier this season but have since slumped to three defeats on the trot — Iyer added: “We don’t want to be the team that when we hit it, we score 250 and when we don’t, we get out for 70.
“We want to be a team who understands the pitch and the conditions quickly and assess what is the par score on that pitch and always try to make 20 runs above-par. That is what aggression for KKR means.”
KKR’s innings wobbled in the middle overs, losing the well-set duo of Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi in quick succession.
But Iyer and Rinku Singh, orchestrated a counterattack, adding 91 runs together and smashing 78 in the final five overs.
“Communication was by Ajinkya and Angkrish during the timeout that it’s not an easy pitch to just go out there and start hitting. You have to take your time. The ball was turning. So it was important for us not to chew a few balls but to take time to understand what the pitch has to offer. (PTI)
