India vs New Zealand 2021: “It’s a bit of a mystery as to why Venkatesh Iyer isn’t bowling”

Indian polisher Robin Uthappa said he was a bit surprised that Rohit Sharma haven’t tried yet Venkatesh Iyer as a bowling pick in the first two T20I against New Zealand. However, he added that it is too early to comment on Rohit’s captaincy as he has just begun his journey as a full-time leader in international cricket. .

Venkatesh Iyer was brought in to replace all-round Hardik Pandya, whose fitness problems have affected Team India’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign. But the 26-year-old did not bowl in the T20I series against New Zealand.

Uthappa analyzed this decision after India won against Kiwi team in the second T20I match in Ranchi. I said ESPNCricinfo that Rohit is probably thinking about the fact that he doesn’t need the sixth bowling option for now. He further elaborated:

“It’s a bit of a mystery as to why Venkatesh Iyer didn’t bowl or try to be a Friday bowler. Maybe Rohit feels he doesn’t need a sixth pitch and Venkatesh Iyer is just playing purely as a hitter.”

Uthappa also pointed out that Rohit’s mindset as captain will become clearer as he leads the Indian team. The 36-year-old explained:

“We understood very early on that Rohit was the captain. As time goes on, we will get a better understanding of what he wants to achieve and want a captain like him. We need to give these people (Rohit and Rahul Dravid) some time to understand what their mindset is and how they see things going forward. ”

Venkatesh Iyer was fired 4 times during his T20I launch. Promoted to 3rd in Friday’s game, he went undefeated again with 12 from 11 balls.

Rohit and Dravid don’t want to beat Venkatesh Iyer just for the sake of it: Daniel Vettori

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori backed Uthappa over Rohit’s decision not to give the ball to Venkatesh Iyer. According to him, Rohit and head coach Rahul Dravid probably don’t want to experiment just for the sake of it. Vettori stated:

“This is about Rohit’s captaincy rather than XI playing and figuring out the style he wants to play. Rahul and Rohit don’t want to beat Venkatesh Iyer because maybe this is just the crucial moment and he might have to run 20 times. They don’t want to put themselves in position just for the sake of seeing a ball ball. ”

Assessing India’s performance, he added that Ravichandran Ashwin’s success in his return to the T20 team has made life more difficult for Yuzvendra Chahal. Vettori says:

“What they (India) have discovered is that Ashwin will be part of the T20 team in the future. With Ashwin bowling so well, it’ll probably push Chahal into the background a bit. ”

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Chasing 154, India won in 17.2 rounds, taking a 2-0 lead in a three-match series.