Former India opener turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has praised Prithvi Shaw for playing a stunning knock against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Shaw smoked 61 runs off just 34 deliveries to give the Delhi Capitals’ innings a blazing start. However, the LSG bowlers restricted Delhi to a score of 149/3, with KL Rahul’s side eventually reaching the target with six wickets in hand and two balls to spare as well.
While reflecting on the Delhi Capitals’ batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said: “Prithvi Shaw was absolutely like Prithvi missile. I had said that this could be Prithvi Shaw’s day. What an amazing batting display, when he bats like this, you feel he is the disruptive or destructive opener that everyone needs. The opposition bowling was okay, it is not the best bowling lineup but it is not bad as well. Krishnappa Gowtham was made to bowl at the start, they got Avesh Khan and Ravi Bishnoi, KL Rahul tried everything, but no one was able to stop Prithvi Shaw. He was absolutely stellar.”
READ HERE: India will struggle if Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma don’t score, says Mohammad Hafeez
However, Shaw smashed nine fours and two sixes during his 61-run innings. David Warner scored just four runs in the 67-run opening wicket partnership between the duo, although Shaw did face most of the deliveries too. While talking about David Warner’s poor show, Aakash Chopra questioned their decision to send Rovman Powell at the fall of Shaw’s wicket as well.
He stated: “But when David Warner was playing with him, his bat was not firing at all. He was struggling right through and eventually when he got out, he had scored four runs in 12 balls. Rovman Powell was sent up the order – I was surprised, why not Rishabh Pant. Ravi Bishnoi bid him goodbye as well after he had scored three runs off 10 deliveries. Rishabh Pant came after that. He also struggled till the end but stood there. Sarfaraz and Rishabh Pant had an unbeaten partnership where Sarfaraz was batting better for a majority of the period and then Rishabh Pant destroyed Andrew Tye in one over and took the team to 149.”
He has lauded Quinton de Kock’s match-winning knock for the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). De Kock smashed 80 runs off 52 balls to help LSG chase down the 150-run target easily.
“The most important thing Lucknow Super Giants did at the auction, if we see from the next three years’ perspective, was acquiring Quinton de Kock after KL Rahul. He was in the marquee list. I don’t know for what god reason none of the teams bid more on him. I thought he would be sold for 10 crores and could be even for 12 or 14 crores. He was sold for just 6.75 crores, he was bought very easily, was an extremely good acquisition. Left-handed opening batter and does keeping along with that,” he added.
READ HERE: Gary Kirsten all set to work with Hardik Pandya
“If we talk about this encounter, Anrich Nortje was the biggest threat from the opposition team’s perspective. Everyone was waiting for him for a long time. Delhi was thinking that he will come and solve all their problems. He (De Kock) started hitting boundary after boundary in his first over itself. It was an amazing performance from him (De Kock). He started well, derailed Nortje. KL Rahul and Evin Lewis got out, it didn’t make a difference to him. He took the game so deep that the match was already in your grasp by the time he was dismissed,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
