Former India player Aakash Chopra has applauded Nehal Wadhera for playing a match-defining knock in the Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) IPL 2025 match against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). He added that his game against spin was similar to Suresh Raina’s as well. Wadhera scored 70 runs off 37 deliveries as PBKS set RR a 220-run target, and the visitors then restricted RR to 209/7 to register a 10-run win as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Nehal Wadhera played extremely well. He is technically very compact. When he plays against spin, he reminds me a little of Suresh Raina. When he plays inside-out shots and the way he uses his feet, it seems it is like him (Raina).”

“He keeps the game in control. It never seems like he is behind the game. He is slightly ahead of the game. Whether it is while chasing or batting first, he controls those innings. He likes Rajasthan. He scored a fifty the last time he played against them, and he played an excellent 70-run knock here,” he shared.

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However, Aakash Chopra praised Shashank Singh (59* off 30) for playing the finisher’s role quite well in PBKS’ IPL 2025 clash against RR as well.

“Shashank Singh was retained. They said they needed him as a finisher, and he comes across as a street-smart cricketer. He has matured in the furnace of local cricket. He knows how to drive the game and which bowler to hit where. He knows his strengths very well,” he said.

“He doesn’t take too many risks and knows which bowler he needs to score more runs against. He was also the stand-in captain this time because Shreyas had an injured finger. He used the bowlers well. He brought Arshdeep (Singh) in the 19th over and gave him the 17th over as well. He just moved the pieces at the right time,” Aakash Chopra concluded.