Aakash Chopra effusively lauded Venkatesh Iyer for his exceptional performance during Kolkata Knight Riders IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 triumph over SunRisers Hyderabad in Ahmedabad on Tuesday May 21. The stylish lefthanded batsman crafted an unbeaten 51 runs off 28 deliveries including an array of five boundaries and four massive sixes.
KKR bowled SRH out for 159 as Pat Cummins decided to bat first. The two-time winners met the mark with eight wickets and 38 deliveries to spare, securing a spot in the final in Chennai on Sunday, May 26.
In a video posted on his YouTube page, Chopra commended Rahmanullah Gurbaz (23 off 14) for getting his team off to a flying start, as well as Venkatesh for maintaining the aggressive attitude.
“Rahmanullah Gurbaz kept hitting after stepping out. He had taken the match forward very quickly before he got out to T Natarajan. When he got out, Venkatesh Iyer came in. Venkatesh Iyer is saying – ‘Flower samjhe kya, fire hai main’. He batted extremely well. The template this team has changed deserves special praise.”
“You could have played cautiously in the run chase as you don’t want to be hasty but Venkatesh Iyer was in full flow. He stepped out and hit Pat Cummins straight, then a pull and knelt and hit Vijayakanth Viyaskanth for a six. He was very, very good. So applause with both hands for Venkatesh Iyer.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra also praised Shreyas Iyer for delivering a crucial offensive blow.
“Sunil Narine got out for sure but he too had scored 21 runs by then. Then Shreyas came. He got a life and then he also opened his arms. It was extremely important for Shreyas Iyer to do well. He said before the tournament that he would be the anchor. I felt he was selling himself short. You associate such kind of batting with Shreyas Iyer.”
Aakash Chopra
Shreyas scored an undefeated 58 from 24 balls, with five fours and four sixes. The KKR captain and Venkatesh put up an unbroken 97-run third-wicket stand to lead their team to a comfortable victory.
“The huge amount that was spent is being discussed for all the right reasons” – Aakash Chopra lauds KKR’s Mitchell Starc
Aakash Chopra hailed Mitchell Starc for a match-winning spell while reflecting on KKR’s bowling performance.
“Mitchell Starc – take a bow, outstanding. There is something about the Australians – when it’s playoff time, cometh the hour, cometh the man. The huge amount that was spent is being discussed for all the right reasons because Mitchell Starc gave the Player of the Match performance. He broke the back at the start itself.”
Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator also praised the other KKR bowlers for their near-perfect performances.
“Varun Chakaravarthy picked up two wickets. He bowled extremely well, which he always does. He got Bhuvi (Bhuveshwar Kumar) out and picked up the massive wicket of Heinrich Klaasen. Harshit Rana and Vaibhav Arora took a wicket apiece, and Andre Russell also picked up a wicket in the end before leaving.”
Aakash Chopra
Varun Chakaravarthy added to Starc’s three-wicket haul with 2/26 in four overs. Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, and Andre Russell each took a wicket, with the Jamaican all-rounder also dismissing Rahul Tripathi with an athletic effort.