Even though the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated the Mumbai Indians (MI), former Indian batsman Akash Chopra is happy with Venkatesh Iyer, believing that his 70 runs in 52 are very crucial for the team in a total where no one else has played well except Manish Pandey. The fact that Kolkata is almost at the knockout stage makes Venkatesh Iyer’s form even more significant.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI) played a game at Wankhede Stadium. After a dismal start by Sunil Narine and Phil Sault, Venkatesh Iyer and Manish Pandey provided strong support, with Manish scoring 41 in 31 to help KKR reach 169. KKR won by a score of 24 runs, advancing them one step closer to the qualifying stage.
Suryakumar Yadav tried harder and scored 56 in 35 deliveries, but he was unable to duplicate Venkatesh Iyer’s first-inning performance. In contrast, Venkatesh Iyer’s scoring capabilities allow bowlers to defend a good amount of runs, and they fully succeeded by forcing MI to all out at 145. Rohit Sharma has now failed three times in a row, which highlights serious concerns about T20 World Cup 2024.
Aakash Chopra’s take On Venkatesh Iyer’s performance against MI
Speaking on YouTube, former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra began by praising Manish Pandey and Venkatesh Iyer. He said that he had previously scored a century here in MI and that his 70 today demonstrates his exceptional caliber. He also used the phrase Ekla Chalo Re for Iyer’s innings, claiming that he had a one-man army that put all of its efforts against Mumbai and let KKR defend some runs.
“However, Manish Pandey scored runs. Pandey ji played very well till the time he played. Venkatesh Iyer was there alongside him. He scored a century the last time he played at the Wankhede and scored 70 runs this time too. He fought till the end. He took the Bengali song ‘Ekla Chalo Re’ slightly seriously,” said Akash Chopra