Kohli, Dhoni, Ganguly or Dravid? Venkatesh Iyer picks 'ultimate leader' of Indian cricket

Venkatesh Iyer, an all-rounder for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), disclosed the identity of the individual he believes is the "ultimate leader" of Indian cricket. In an interview with Australian YouTube personalities, Sam Perry and Ian Higgins, Iyer stated that MS Dhoni is without a doubt Thalaivar (leader) of Indian cricket. Iyer was given the option of choosing between Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Rahul Dravid, and the stylish left-handed hitter from Madhya Pradesh thought Dhoni deserved it the most.

"That's a tough question but I would have to pick MS Dhoni, he is an absolute Thalaivar (leader) of the Indian cricket. He deserves that," Iyer said in his interview with The Grade Cricketer.  

Iyer was also enquired about the recent verbal altercation between KKR skipper Eoin Morgan and Delhi Capitals spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Remember, Morgan and Ashwin had a heated on-field argument during their last encounter in Sharjah over a run that the Indian spinner took off Tim Southee's bowling, which the KKR captain thought was against the spirit of the game. Iyer dodged the question saying, "Me being new to the crease, me being new to the circuit, it's better to stay away from this." 

Iyer's IPL career

Iyer made his IPL debut for Kolkata Knight Riders this season and the 26-year-old has since managed to impress everyone with his amazing all-round skills. So far, Iyer has played 4 matches for KKR and has scored 126 runs at an average of 42.00 with an impressive strike rate of 144.82 while opening the batting alongside Shubman Gill. Iyer has one half-century, 41 not-out, 18, and 14 in the four innings that he has played in the IPL. Iyer also has two wickets under his belt, which he picked against Delhi Capitals on September 28. 

After a poor run in the first leg of the IPL 2021, KKR have bounced back brilliantly in the UAE leg by winning three of their four matches. A lot of credit for their success in the second phase should be given to the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer who solved their top order woes and has now contributed with the ball too.

Image: PTI