(AP Photo)
Aakash Chopra has expressed significant apprehension regarding India’s persistent challenges against left-arm pacers during the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. According to the former cricketer, this issue was glaringly evident in India’s opening Super Eight encounter against Afghanistan. Batting first in Barbados, India faced early setbacks as Rohit Sharma, alongside Virat Kohli, was dismissed by left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi in the third over. Rohit fell prey to a slower delivery and was caught by Rashid Khan. Farooqi, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, further troubled India by claiming two more wickets, dismissing Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja later in the innings.
Despite the early setbacks, India recovered impressively thanks to a courageous innings from Suryakumar Yadav. While other batsmen struggled on the sluggish pitch, Suryakumar displayed his batting prowess, dismantling the Afghan bowling attack with an aggressive 53 runs, comprising five boundaries and three sixes. His dynamic batting propelled India to a total of 181 runs, leading them to a commanding 47-run victory in this crucial match.
Following the conclusion of the match, Aakash Chopra analyzed India’s batting display against Afghanistan on his YouTube channel. The former cricketer-turned-pundit remarked, “India batted first after winning the toss. We had discussed this as well and there is an advantage here if you bat first. Teams batting first are winning and India also showed that by doing it. However, they stumbled a little. It has been a problem. We are struggling a little against the left-arm pace.”
Aakash Chopra explained, “Rohit Sharma was trying but he got out. He hit the ball straight up in the air and got out. The bowler’s name was Fazalhaq Farooqi. Mohammad Nabi was bowling from the other end, and India were kept on a tight leash.”Virat Kohli remained quiet for a long time. Then he hit a good six, reached 24, but then he also got out.”
The former Indian opener showered accolades on Suryakumar Yadav for his pivotal role in India’s comeback during the match. Despite Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan’s three-wicket haul, he appeared powerless against Suryakumar’s exceptional batting prowess, especially his adept use of sweep shots to counter Rashid’s bowling. Aakash Chopra feels “no one plays Rashid better than Surya.” “He doesn’t get out to him at all. He keeps playing sweeps and Rashid, for some strange reason, has no answer,” Chopra added.
Suryakumar Yadav notched his second half-century of the T20 World Cup, having previously scored an unbeaten fifty against the USA in New York. With his outstanding form, Surya aims to maintain his momentum as India prepares to face Bangladesh in their next Super Eight match scheduled for June 22nd.
