Former India batter turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra feels that New Zealand have completed their revenge for their unfortunate as well as heartbreaking loss in the 2019 ODI World Cup final against England with a stunning show in the 2023 ODI World Cup opener. New Zealand registered a nine-wicket win at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday as well.

Praising New Zealand’s performance against England, Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “It looked like New Zealand took revenge for the 2019 World Cup final loss. I mean, they completely dominated the opposition. England started as one of the favorites, but New Zealand made them look so ordinary. What are you doing, England? It looked like they expected their reputation to do all the work. They wanted to play aggressive cricket, but it did not transpire on the ground at all. I saw so many poor shots towards the end, take Joe Root’s and Moeen Ali’s dismissal as example.”

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However, Joe Root and Moeen Ali lost their wickets to Glenn Phillips’ part-time off-spin as well. Moreover, Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner were the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with their stunning spells as well. Meanwhile, during the run chase, England removed Will Young for a golden duck but failed to claim any more wicket as well. Praising New Zealand’s performance and Rachin Ravindra especially, Aakash Chopra said:

“No one hardly rates New Zealand. They hardly play matches in between the two World Cup editions, no one plays big series against them, but they still come through. I was a bit skeptical around how Rachin Ravindra would fare against Mark Wood’s pace, but he was absolutely sensational. He played with maturity, he played under his eyes, close to his body, and he was absolutely brilliant.”