'Venkatesh Iyer made runs but his start was extremely slow' - Aakash Chopra analyses KKR batter's performance against RR

A must-win game for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Rajasthan Royals saw the home side losing to the visitors in a humiliating manner as the visitors chased down the target of 150 runs in just 13.1 overs on the back of a sensational knock from Yashasvi Jaiswal.

After being put to bat first by Rajasthan Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson, the KKR side didn’t have the ideal start as both of their openers were out cheaply, courtesy of some brilliant catching by Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma.

Venkatesh Iyer was the high scorer for KKR as he scored a patient 42-ball 57. Reeling at 29/2 at one stage, KKR needed a partnership desperately and that's when Iyer and Nitish Rana got together to stitch a partnership and also steady the ship but the southpaw was really slow at the beginning of his innings. Though he ended up scoring a half-century, his slow start resulted in KKR scoring a below par total. 

Reflecting on Iyer's efforts, ace commentator Aakash Chopra pointed it out saying that Venkatesh starting his innings on a sluggish note affected the final scoreline. In a video that Chopra posted on YouTube, he elaborated on the fact by saying

"After that, there is no doubt that Venkatesh Iyer made runs but his start was extremely slow. The pitch was slow, it was turning a little - a typical pitch that Kolkata should have liked but they didn't because they didn't score enough runs."

 Chahal has now become the leading wicket-taker in the Indian Premier League

The former Indian opener also praised Rajasthan's leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal for his persistent and impressive bowling effort. The star Indian leg spinner, after his exploits against KKR, became the leading wicket-taker in the history of IPL. Praising Chahal, the cricketer turned commentator added,

"Ashwin remained wicketless. Joe Root also bowled off-spin, he too didn't get a wicket. But Yuzi Chahal one more time - chatur chalak chanchal Chahal. He is brilliant. He has the most wickets in this tournament (IPL 2023) already with a slightly slowish start."