India defeated West Indies by 17 runs in the third and final T20I on Sunday (February 21) to complete a 3-0 whitewash in the three-match series. Young all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer was one of the heroes of India’s victory as he contributed well with both the bat and the ball.
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Iyer slammed a crucial knock of 35 runs off 19 balls to help India post a strong total of 184 runs on the board before taking two wickets with the ball to help the hosts defend the total. In the absence of star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Iyer along with the likes of Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur has impressed with his exploits in limited-overs cricket.
Pandya had opted to make himself unavailable for selection post India’s exit from T20 World Cup 2021 to focus on his bowling and overall fitness. The all-rounder has since missed India’s series against New Zealand, South Africa and West Indies. He will also be not part of the upcoming T20I and Test series against Sri Lanka at home.
In Pandya’s absence, Iyer, Chahar and Sharul have all strengthened their case for cementing their spots in India’s T20I squad. Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer believes Iyer is now ahead of Pandya as far as a spot in the T20 World Cup 2022 squad is concerned.
