INDvsWI 3rd T20I: Enjoyed Surya's batting more than mine, says Venkatesh Iyer

Indian batter Venkatesh Iyer praised his teammate Suryakumar Yadav for his brilliant knock against West Indies in the third and final T20I here at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday. Suryakumar Yadav (65) and Venkatesh Iyer (35*) starred with the bat as India posted 184/5 against West Indies in the third and final T20I.

"More than I enjoyed my batting, I enjoyed his (Surya's) batting. Really happy to have contributed to the partnership. I think every shot of his has a touch of grace. There is thought behind it but he just stands out. That pick upshot over the leg-side of his is great. My shot was on the cards and it was Surya's idea for me to shuffle and scoop it," said Venkatesh Iyer after the first innings. Sent into bat, India did not get off to an ideal start as the hosts lost opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad (4) in the third over off the bowling of Jason Holder. Shreyas Iyer joined Ishan Kishan in the middle and after the end of powerplay overs, India's score read 43/1.

The 53-run stand for the second wicket between Shreyas and Ishan came to an end in the 9th over as Hayden Walsh Jr sent Shreyas (25) back to the pavilion and this brought skipper Rohit Sharma to the middle. Kishan (34) was then bowled by Roston Chase in the next over and India was reduced to 66/3 in the 10th over. Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav put on 27 runs for the fourth wicket, however, this partnership was broken by Dominic Drakes as he bowled Rohit (7) in the 14th over. Venkatesh Iyer then joined Suryakumar in the middle and the duo brought some momentum to the innings.

In the last five overs, the hosts managed to add 86 more runs to the total, taking the score past the 180-run mark. Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav formed a 91-run partnership for the fifth wicket.