Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma keep dressing room relaxed, they know how to handle youngsters: Venkatesh Iyer

India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer lauded the newly-appointed head coach Rahul Dravid and captain Rohit Sharma for their understanding and way of tackling the youngsters. Iyer was one of the two players who made debut in the recent home T20I series against New Zealand, which hosts India bagged 3-0.

Coming on the back of an impressive IPL 2021 with the Kolkata Knight Riders, Iyer suddenly found himself in the grand scheme of things. He scored 370 runs in 10 innings at 41.11 apart from displaying his seam-bowling exploits occasionally to push his case forward, and he was rewarded with an India cap in the immediately following bilateral series.

Speaking about his maiden experience with India’s new backroom staff, Iyer credited Dravid and Rohit Sharma for motivating each player and keeping the dressing room atmosphere “relaxed”.

“Rahul (Dravid) sir is a legend of the game and has played a lot of cricket for India. He knows how to handle youngsters. I got a lot of backing from him as well. The best part with Rohit bhai and Rahul sir in the dressing room is that the communication was absolutely clear.],” Iyer told Times of India.

“Rahul sir and Rohit bhai keep the dressing room relaxed and keep motivating every player. Rahul sir gave me complete freedom to express myself. He had confidence in my abilities,” he added.

He expressed what it meant for him to earn his debut cap, and what message did he receive from skipper Rohit, who handed him the maiden cap in the series-opening encounter in Jaipur. “When I got my cap and then went to the middle, Rohit bhai said to go there and express myself and enjoy the moment. He backed me a lot and gave a lot of tips. Rohit bhai knows how to take the pressure off a player and his tips were really valuable for me.”

Iyer revealed his one-step-at-a-time mantra, stating that his immediate goal is to perform in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and ensure he stays on the selectors’ radar. “The Vijay Hazare Trophy will be my next stop. I want to take it one step at a time. I want to remain focused. Whatever opportunity or challenge comes my way, I will grab those with both hands.”