Aakash Chopra praised the Indian bowlers’ match-winning effort against England in the 2023 World Cup.
After being invited to bat first in Lucknow on Sunday, October 29, the Men in Blue set the reigning champions a 230-run goal. Their spinners then bundled out Jos Buttler and company for 129, completing a commanding 100-run win and thus securing their place in the semifinals.
Chopra praised the Indian bowlers in a video posted on his YouTube account after reviewing the game. He stated:
“Let’s focus on India’s bowling first. As they say – batters win you matches but it’s the bowlers who win you tournaments and this team’s bowling unit is wow. The team scored 229 in total in a 50-over game and won by 100 runs against an England team, which says they will do amazing things.”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener praised the periods of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami in particular. He went on to say:
“The way Bumrah moved the new ball and then Mohammed Shami – sensational Shami, fantastic Shami, absolutely spectacular Shami. I was slightly disappointed that he wasn’t given the new ball. He came after two or three overs.”
Aakash Chopra
Bumrah took the opening two wickets before ending with 3/32 in 6.5 overs. Shami’s five-wicket haul against New Zealand was followed by a burst of 4/22 in seven overs against England.
Mohammed Shami Troubles Ben Stokes with Unplayable Spell: Aakash Chopra
While both Bumrah and Shami were on hat-tricks, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Ben Stokes was completely out of his depth against the latter. He stated:
“First Bumrah went around the stumps and dismissed Dawid Malan, and then Joe Root off the first ball from over the stumps. He was on a hat-trick and so was Mohammed Shami. There was an amazing over to Ben Stokes. Not even one ball hit the bat.”
Aakash Chopra
Shami effectively pushed England Test captain Joe Root to flee a duel, according to the cricketer-turned-commentator. He elaborated:
“If the ball is not hitting the bat and you play a shot like that, you do that in only two situations – either you are extremely confident or you want to run after breaking jail. This time he turned his back and ran away from a fight.”
Aakash Chopra
Chopra also lauded Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja for their outstanding performances. He stated, “
“Then Kuldeep came and embarrassed you, the way he dismissed Jos Buttler. Ravindra Jadeja left Chris Woakes stranded halfway down the pitch, and then Shami and Bumrah again at the death. It is an unbelievable bowling unit.”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra finished by stating that the Indian bowlers had not surrendered an above-par score in a single match. He went on to say that when it was their turn to defend a below-par score, they easily won the match.