'Fear Of Failure Is Always...': Venkatesh Iyer Opens Up On Being One Of IPL's MVPs
Venkatesh Iyer was the Kolkata Knight Riders' third-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024, with 370 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and four fifties to his name.
India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer has said that while the fear of failure is constant, the hope for success is so high that he has always wanted to take the deep plunge and see what it produces at the end.
Iyer was the Kolkata Knight Riders’ third-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024, with 370 runs in 13 innings at an average of 46.25 and four fifties to his name, but he was released at the IPL 2025 mega-auction.
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In the auction, KKR bought him back for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore and he was named the team’s vice-captain earlier this month.
“As in life, fear of failure is always there. But the hope for success is higher, so why not give it a try? And the credit has to go to the [KKR] management on how they handled me – GG sir, Abhishek Nayar and especially Chandu sir, for the way he talks to me," Iyer said while speaking to ESPNCricinfo.
“I bat like this in the Ranji Trophy as well and in [domestic] 50-overs matches. I like to take those risks. But yes, for a coach to explain when to take the risk, how to take it and if the risk is correct or not at a particular period, that requires a lot of attention and I feel Chandu sir has [done] that," Iyer added.
The India all-rounder said that although the fear of failure is persistent, the game-changing moment for him was the match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Eden Gardens.
Iyer scored an 8-ball 16 in that game, which Kolkata won by just one run.
“I was batting decently [during the season], but I was not getting a lot of runs. In that game, I got only 16 off eight balls. It’s not a massive contribution, but that innings gave me a lot of confidence," Iyer said.
“It changed something inside me, and that fear went away. All that I was looking forward [to] was to hit the ball again and it’s amazing what one innings can do to your confidence," Iyer added.
Kolkata will begin their IPL 2025 campaign against Bengaluru on Saturday, March 22 at the Eden Gardens.
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