I wanted to replicate Ganguly and hit sixes like him, says KKR's Iyer

'He has played a very big role unknowingly in my life.'

Kolkata Knight Riders' opening batsman Venkatesh Iyer, who has impressed everyone with his exploits with the bat in their first two games of the second leg of IPL 2021 in the UAE, revealed that former India skipper Sourav Ganguly has 'unknowingly' played a big role in his life.

Iyer smashed 53 from 30 balls, which included four fours and three sixes, putting on a quickfire 88-run second wicket partnership off just 52 balls with Rahul Tripathi to power KKR to an emphatic seven-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians on Thursday.

"Honestly, KKR was the first franchise I wanted to get in because Sourav Ganguly was the captain initially so I wanted to get into KKR first. Got picked by the franchise so it was a dreamy moment for me. Everyone was very welcoming , I got a lot of gifts."

"I am a huge fan of Dada (Ganguly), he has got millions of fans around the globe and I am one of them. He has played a huge role in my batting," Iyer told teammate Rahul Tripathi in a video posted on iplt20.com.

"I used to bat right-handed when I was very young but I wanted to exactly replicate Dada, how he hit sixes and the way he batted. He has played a very big role unknowingly in my life. I was really waiting for my opportunity and I knew I am going to get my chance," he added.

Iyer blasted 41 from 27 balls in his IPL debut, against Royal Challengers Bangalore, to lift KKR to a nine-wicket victory.