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Xtra Time Web Desk: Kolkata Knight Rider’s Venkatesh Iyer has made full use of the opportunity to open the batting for his franchise. Following the knock against RCB, Iyer once again batted with confidence in Thursday night’s clash against Mumbai Indians. Iyer scored 53 and was involved in a match winning partnership with Rahul Tripathi to see his team home. The Knight Riders defeated MI by seven wickets at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday.

Iyer, who could have easily made a high profile career in management chose cricket as a career option. The cricketer from Madhya Pradesh revealed he was a diehard Sourav Ganguly fan and wanted to replicate his batting. In an impromptu chat with teammate Rahul Tripathi on iplt20.com, Iyer said, "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, he has got millions of fans around the globe and I am one of them. He has played a huge role in my batting,"

The 26 year old cricketer also added that he changed his batting grip after watching the former India captain. Iyer admitted he was at awe watching how Ganguly batted and the way he hit sixes.

"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," Iyer said..

KKR will next lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday.