“Venkatesh Iyer seemed fidgety in the last match” - Wasim Jaffer on KKR opener’s struggles in IPL 2022 so far

Former Indian batter Wasim Jaffer feels Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener Venkatesh Iyer looked unsettled out in the middle during the team’s previous IPL 2022 clash against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old left-handed batter has looked out of sorts in the two matches Kolkata have played so far. He was caught behind for 16 against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and top-edged an attempted big against RCB, having made 10.

Agreeing that it was too early to worry about the opener’s form, Jaffer admitted that the batter did look out of sorts in KKR’s clash against RCB. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo ahead of Kolkata’s match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Friday, he said:

“Venkatesh Iyer seemed fidgety in the last match and also under some pressure to score runs. He played some strange shots. I guess he could not get used to the bounce at DY Patil (stadium). But I feel this ground (Wankhede Stadium) and wickets could favor him because there won’t be as much bounce.”

Asserting that Iyer can overcome his poor start to IPL 2022, Jaffer added:

“He should spend some time at the crease. After that, he has all the shots in the book. He must back his game. He is a quality player.”

Venkatesh Iyer was one of KKR’s star performers last season, hammering 370 runs in 10 matches as the franchise finished runners-up after a disastrous first leg.

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“When Shreyas comes in to bat, PBKS might bring on Rahul Chahar” - Jaffer on KKR captain’s weakness against leg-spin

While KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer has been in fantastic form in international cricket, he has a history of being troubled by leg-spinners. Even in the game against Bangalore, he was dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga.

Asked if Kolkata should have any cause for worry over their captain’s issues against leg-spin, Jaffer said:

“If we look at the match-ups, when Shreyas Iyer comes in to bat, Punjab Kings (PBKS) might bring on Rahul Chahar. In the last game as well, a leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga got him out.”

The former batter, however, backed Shreyas to come good for KKR in IPL 2022. He added:

“Iyer is a quality player, so I don’t think it would be playing heavily on his mind. Maybe he might not be too aggressive against Chahar. Otherwise, he knows this ground very well and is in excellent form as well. KKR depend quite a bit on him in the batting and I am confident he will utilize his form.”

Shreyas scored an unbeaten 20 against CSK, but was dismissed for 13 against RCB.