BENGALURU, Apr 22: Venkatesh Iyer is itching to walk into the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s playing XI regularly, but the all-rounder understands the team dynamics that has left him on the benches, and is delighted with the role clarity the management has given to him.
Part of Kolkata Knight Riders’ triumphant IPL 2024 campaign, Venkatesh joined RCB ahead of IPL 2026 but has played only one match so far, struggling to get a look into the packed top and middle-order of the Bengaluru outfit.
“…not used to sitting out, See, this is a team environment and as someone who places the team above everything else, it’s my duty to adhere to the environment,” Venkatesh told a select media gathering.
The all-rounder knows very well that RCB will be reluctant to tinker with a combination that had landed them their maiden IPL title a year ago.
“We’re defending champions. So, to tinker with a combination that has won you a championship is not always the smartest move. So as someone who’s walked into a team, it’s my duty to know what role I can play. The credit for that has to go to Mo (Bobat), Andy (Flower) and DK (Dinesh Karthik).
“They’ve been amazing when it comes to conversations about what my role in the team is. They’ve given me absolute clarity. Yes, It is hard, to be honest (to sit out). It’s something that you can’t prepare for. But that does not mean I’m not a part of their plans. It’s definitely a matter of when rather than if,” he added.
RCB bought the 31-year-old for Rs 7 crore during the auction ahead of IPL 2025, a far cry from his magical Rs 23.75 crore that he commanded from KKR earlier.
Similar to that dip in his monetary value, his chances to feature in matches too has shrunk in RCB, but Venkatesh does not see his motivation taking a dip.
“It’s not easy. But it’s extremely important to stay motivated because you can easily get desperate. You can easily lose out on your work ethic. So, I train my mind in such a way that I’m going to play every game. With the impact player (rule), anything can happen.
“But at the same time, I’ve always lived my life in a way that I compare myself with where I was yesterday. To look back at where I am in life, not just a game, is something that keeps me going. I had a great time for the past few years. I’m married now. I have a family. So, all these things kind of add to it that I’m doing well in life. So, these things keep me motivated,” he explained.
But is there regret lingering in him about KKR off-loading to free-up a purse close to Rs 24 crore?
“I spent quite a lot of time at KKR, learnt a lot of things. I’d be lying if I said that I don’t have any emotional connection to them.
“There was amazing communication between me and Abhishek Nair (KKR coach) who wanted to release me at that point in time. So, he told me what the team requires. And you can get anything done out of me if it’s good for the team,” he said.
Venkatesh said he has been learning the finer points of modern T20 batting from Karthik.
“One thing I’ve understood is how to be flexible when it comes to batting. Obviously, he’s working with me only on my batting. How I can assess situations. How can I be smart in terms of staying ahead of others and combine that with total hard work.”
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, an accomplice of Venkatesh from age-group cricket in MP, has blown away the all-rounder with his simple methods.
“I see the biggest strength of Rajat Patidar is how simple he is in terms of his thinking, in terms of how he carries himself, also in terms of his batting. People are in awe of how he clears the boundary with ease. But at the end of the day, when you jot it down to how he does it, it’s actually simplicity. But he is tough also.
“So I think that fellow, I’ve not seen him change over the years. He’s still the same old Rajat that I used to admire back in under-19 days,” he said.
The IPL net sessions are not the place a player would want to improve his red-ball game skill-sets. But Venkatesh is exactly doing that.
“One aspect is that I get bored in the room. So I don’t want to spend a lot of time there. But one thing that I really feel that I haven’t tapped into is my red ball bowling. So, I make it a point to identify someone who has played a lot of red ball cricket.
“Last year (at KKR), I had Mitchell Starc. This year, I have Josh Hazlewood. So, obviously my conversations with them are about how I can improve my red ball bowling,” he added. (PTI)
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