India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav, saying everyone in the Indain dressing room likes the star baiter who played a crucial role in India’s 3-0 victory over the West Indies in a 3-match T20I series that concluded on Sunday in Kolkata.

Suryakumar Yadav has rich domestic experience but he is a relatively new face in the Indian dressing room, having only played 7 ODIs and 14 T20Is. However, the Mumbai Indians baiter seems to have shouldered the responsibility of making things easy for newcomers in the side.

Speaking to Star Sports after starring in India’s 3rd T20I victory, Venkatesh Iyer said Suryakumar Yadav made him feel at home in the middle during their 91-run stand that helped India post 184 despite a middle-order wobble on Sunday.

“That’s what you need, guys bouncing off each other. When I went out there, even Surya was relatively new to the crease. I still remember the first words he told me- ‘Aaj ek aur opportunity hai’,” Iyer said.

“So I think, when a senior player tells you that, it gives you a lot of confidence, you see pressure as a privilege.

“He is one of those guys who everyone likes in the dressing room, he has got great chemistry. It was wonderful batting with him, I was really enjoying his batting from the non-striker’s end,” he added.

Suryakumar and Iyer stitched 91-run stand in just 37 balls as India registered their best-ever death overs batting performance in T20Is – 86 runs in the last 5 overs. The two batters had joined hands when the team was in a spot of bother, having lost captain Rohit Sharma, who batted at No. 4 on Sunday, for 7 from 15 balls.

However, Suryakumar and Iyer took the attack to the West Indies bowlers, hitting 9 sixes and 5 boundaries between them. While the former got out for 65 from just 31 balls, Iyer remained unbeaten on 35 from just 19 balls as the two made sure the crowd at Kolkata had their money’s worth.

While Suryakumar has been establishing himself as a vital cog in the middle-order in India’s T20I team, Iyer has made good use of the opportunities he has got in the finisher’s role. The Kolkata Knight Riders star hit 92 runs and picked up 2 wickets in the 3-match series against the West Indies.