There Is No Competition Between Us, Hardik Pandya Is Way Ahead - Venkatesh Iyer

Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer heaped praise on Gujarat Titans captain Hardik Pandya and dismissed any kind of competition between them.

Venkatesh emerged through the ranks of IPL 2021 after his stellar run with the bat for KKR, scoring 370 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of 128.47. The Madhya Pradesh player followed with his debut for the Indian team in the New Zealand T20I series at home in November last year.

Venkatesh Iyer made a promising start for India

Iyer was slotted in the lower middle-order where he batted twice at the No.6 position and once at No.3, he scored just 36 runs in his international debut series.

In the three-match T20I series against West Indies, the lanky all-rounder amassed 92 runs at a strike rate of 184, he smashed 35 runs off 19 balls in the final T20I match.

It will be an immense opportunity for me to learn from Hardik Pandya: Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh’s ability to roll the arms and give a handful of overs with the ball makes him a likely contender for India’s all-rounder role in the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

However, the lanky player couldn’t replicate his success in the UAE for KKR this year as he amassed 182 runs at 16.55 and was also dropped from the team for a couple of games.

On the other hand, Hardik hasn’t played any international game since the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.

The Gujarat Titans captain, batting at No.4, accumulated 413 runs in 13 innings, striking at 131.53 with the help of four half-centuries. He also picked four wickets after bowling for a brief period this year.

Venkatesh said he is eager to learn many things from Hardik and called him a superstar player. The KKR player believes Hardik is superior to him in terms of skills and talent.

“Hardik Pandya is a superstar of the game. It will be an immense opportunity for me to learn so much from him. He has won so many games for our country and I hope he keeps doing so,” Venkatesh told Sports Tiger.

“I am taking it as a beautiful opportunity to learn and observe him. There is no competition between us, he is way ahead, and I would like to play alongside him,” he added.

Both Hardik and Venkatesh have been named in India’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa, which starts on June 9 in Delhi.

Also Read: I Have Huge Respect For Hardik Pandya, I Pay No Attention To Comparisons Between Us – Venkatesh Iyer