Delhi: When Venkatesh Iyer’s name was mentioned, till a few days ago the discussion was that why KKR did not retain one of its most successful batsmen, Venkatesh Iyer? After the mega auction, the discussion turned into the question that why did KKR buy back Venkatesh Iyer again and that too at a huge and record price of Rs 23.75 crore? In just a few years, he is seeing his IPL check increase from Rs 20 lakh to more than Rs 20 crore. IPL record: 1326 runs in 51 matches for KKR.
The interesting thing is that Venkatesh Iyer does not consider this IPL salary but his studies as his biggest identity. If there is a competition to choose the most educated IPL cricketer, he will be one of the top ones. Believe me, in an era when cricket players in general are saying that there is no time to study while playing, Venkatesh has continued his studies. He is already an MBA (Finance) and is currently pursuing his PhD. The day is not far when he will be written as Dr. Venkatesh Iyer.
So is all this study and big degrees a hobby or a forced deal? The answer to this question is that Venkatesh comes from a traditional conservative family where it was very difficult to convince the middle class parents that cricket is also a career today. That is why if permission was given to play, the condition was that studies would have to be continued and there would be no compromise on studies.
Due to this, Venkatesh’s own policy also changed and he says – ‘Education will remain with you till your death. A cricketer cannot play till 60 years. You have to understand that there is a shelf life. If you really want to reach the top in life, you have to study.
The Iyer family’s own values also contributed fully to all this. There was a doctor in the family, an engineer and a teacher, but there was no one who could make a career in sports. Venkatesh was adamant on becoming a cricketer but his father Rajasekaran Iyer was against it. Mother Usha Iyer supported this and she took her son to Maharaja Yashwantrao Cricket Club of Indore with coach Dinesh Sharma, otherwise the story would have been different.
In this way he wanted to play cricket and his father wanted to study. So no one was disappointed and Venkatesh made arrangements for both of them. Completed MBA and pursuing further studies. Being an active cricketer and studying at the same time is no less than a challenge. Now the situation is such that whenever a new player comes to the Madhya Pradesh team, the first thing Venkatesh asks him is whether he is studying or not? They believe that studies will remain with them till their death.
So be ready to meet Dr. Venkatesh Iyer.
Video: Rohit Sharma looked worried in the press conference regarding Jasprit Bumrah.
