Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has applauded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) openers Sunil Narine and Phit Salt for playing with an attacking approach in the IPL 2024 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, Narine and Salt stitched together a 138-run opening-wicket partnership to help KKR set PBKS a massive 262-run target in Kolkata on Friday, April 26 as well. However, PBKS chased the target down with eight wickets and as many deliveries to spare to reach above the Mumbai Indians (MI) into eighth position on the points table as well.
While reflecting on KKR’s batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “Captain Shreyas Iyer lost the toss and they were invited to bat first. Sunil Narine is going at a different level these days. Phit Salt was there with Sunil Narine and both together did an assault. Catches were dropped and everyone was getting lives. Kolkata posted the highest 10-over-mark total of their 17-year history. I think it was 137 or 139. Sunil Narine somehow got out in the end and Phil Salt also got out. There was a semblance of a feeling that you might be hit less now.”
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However, he also added that the duo took the hosts to a record score of 137 for no loss of wickets at the halfway mark of their innings. Narine smashed 71 runs off 32 deliveries with nine fours and four sixes. Salt smashed six fours and as many sixes in his 37-ball 75 as well. Aakash Chopra praised KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer for proving his decision to bat ahead of Rinku Singh right as well.
“Venkatesh Iyer came and he also tried to play big shots. After that, Andre Russell was promoted and he too hit big shots. I was extremely surprised that why Shreyas came ahead of Rinku Singh. So Shreyas also scored 28 runs off 10 balls and said that’s why he came and that Rinku Singh wouldn’t have hit more than him. The bowlers got hit a lot and it wasn’t because of the ‘Impact Player’ rule. Both openers scored half-centuries and not many players got out. Ramandeep (Singh) came in the end for one ball and he too hit a six. So where does the impact player come there? An extra batter wasn’t required. The change has been in the mindset,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
