India vs New Zealand: Aakash Chopra points tactical mistake from Rohit Sharma in 1st T20I

Venkatesh Iyer played only a handful of matches for KKR in the IPL 2021 UAE leg however the tall all-rounder definitely made an impact with his batting at the top of the order. Watching Iyer's domestic as well as IPL performance BCCI decided to draft him to India's T20 team for the New Zealand series. On Wednesday, the lanky cricketer was handed debut with Rohit Sharma presenting him the cap. 

Venkatesh Iyer was used as a finisher in India vs New Zealand match and hit a crucial boundary at the end which brought India closer to win. However, he did not have a chance to roll the arm. Former India opener turned commentator Aakash Chopra feels that Rohit Sharma missed the trick of not bowling Venkatesh Iyer when other bowlers were leaking runs.

IND vs NZ: Aakash Chopra on Rohit Sharma not using Venkatesh Iyer for bowling 

With Deepak Chahar and Mohammad Siraj leaking runs, Venkatesh Iyer could have been used as the sixth bowling option by Rohit Sharma. Aakash Chopra in his tweet wrote about Rohit Sharma holding back Venkatesh Iyer despite the other two pacers leaking runs. Aakash Chopra in his tweet said,

Highlights from India vs New Zealand 1st T20I

With Virat Kohli resigning as skipper of the T20 team, Rohit Sharma was presented with the opportunity to lead the team in the T20I series. The opener, in his very first match, as a full-time skipper won the toss and asked Tim Southee led New Zealand to bat first. Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Daryl Mitchell for a duck to give India a great start but  Martin Guptill (70 off 42) and Mark Chapman (63 off 50) dominated the Indian bowlers and took New Zealand's total to 164 for six on a good batting surface.

Chasing 165 runs to win, Team India made a strong start with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma putting up a 50 run stand at the top. However, Rahul's innings was short-lived after which Suryakumar Yadav who came into bat at No 3 turned the match in India's favour with a fine half-century. Rohit Sharma made 48 runs off 36 balls before being dismissed by Trent Boult. Suryakumar Yadav who looked dangerous with the bat was finally dismissed for 62 runs off 40 balls. Venkatesh Iyer scored one boundary before losing his wicket to Daryl Mitchell. Rishabh Pant ensured the team went past the finish line before any other trouble. 

Image: BCCI / Twitter