IPL 2025: Venkatesh Iyer blasts 60, calls for smart aggression, situational awareness

"A simple yet crucial aspect of aggression in cricket is showing positive intent while making the right decisions," Iyer said during a chat with JioHotstar when discussing KKR's batting strategy. "For example, if we're 50 for six and I go out trying to hit every ball, that's aggressive but not the right approach. To be considered smart cricketers, it's essential to assess the situation and respond appropriately," he added.

Hyderabad: Venkatesh Iyer, star performer (60, 29b, 7×4, 3×6) in Kolkata Knight Riders’ emphatic win against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday night at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the IPL league game, emphasised the importance of reading match situations and adapting accordingly.

“A basic but very important meaning of aggression is to show positive but correct intent when we play cricket,” Iyer explained in chat with JioHotstar when asked about KKR’s batting approach.

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“If we are 50 for six and I still go and took everything, that’s positive but not correct. If we are to call ourselves smart cricketers, it’s very important to read any situation and then react accordingly,” he said.

“Aggression does not mean hitting every ball for a maximum. It’s about how you understand the conditions and can maximise the conditions in your favour,” Iyer explained.

Iyer credited his teammates — especially skipper Ajinkya Rahane and young batter Angkrish Raghuvanshi — for providing valuable inputs during the strategic timeout that helped him assess the pitch conditions better.

“The main communication was by Ajinkya and Angkrish. The messages they sent during the time-out made us understand that it’s not an easy pitch to just go out there and hit. You have to take your time,” he said.

“I have that luxury because we have Rinku, Ramandeep (Singh), and (Andre) Russell in the back end. Even if I take a few balls, I know that I can cover it to an extent. We still have our engine room who
can demolish any bowling attack,” Iyer said.

Iyer also expressed appreciation for facing star Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who recently returned to cricketing action after a long layoff due to injury.

“The cricket fan in me is very happy to see Shami Bhai back and running in full flow. It was extremely challenging to play him in the Ranji trophy as well, but here in T20, the bowler also has a mindset
that if they err, they can get hit for a boundary,” he concluded.