Venkatesh Iyer gets India cap from Rohit Sharma, lauded by teammates; WATCH

After an excellent performance in the second leg of IPL 2021, Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) Venkatesh Iyer finally got the opportunity to represent the Indian national side in the first India vs New Zealand T20I. In 10 innings for KKR, he scored 370 runs at an excellent average of 41.1.

He was given his cap by Team India's new full-time captain Rohit Sharma on his debut, while the rest of the team applauded and congratulated him. As far as the match goes, the hitman won the toss and chose to field first.

IND vs NZ: Venkatesh Iyer gets his cap from Rohit Sharma

Ahead of the IND vs NZ 1st T20, Venkatesh Iyer finally got his opportunity to cherish as he was given his cap by Rohit Sharma. In the video seen below, the India cricket team can be seen forming a hurdle and congratulating the KKR all-rounder for making his debut. Towards the end of the video, Avesh Khan, who is yet to make his debut, can be seen giving Iyer a warm embrace.

India vs New Zealand: Venkatesh Iyer on making his debut

During the pre-match interview, Venkatesh Iyer explained how it felt to him to finally make his debut for the Indian cricket team. "Everyone who plays cricket aspires to play for the country, so I feel good that I've been presented with this opportunity. Feels good to play under Rahul (Dravid) sir. I'm really excited and looking forward to it. As a cricketer, you got to be flexible, and I'll look to capitalise on the role I've been given. I'm ready to bat at any position, or bowl whenever I've been asked to. It's wonderful to play in front of the (Indian) crowd. It's great to have them back," said the 26-year old.

India vs New Zealand playing 11

• India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (w), Venkatesh Iyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj
• New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Tim Seifert (w), Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (c), Todd Astle, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult