Asia Cup 2022: "A football score on a cricket ground" - Aakash Chopra lauds Bhuvneshwar Kumar's spell in IND vs AFG Super 4 match
Aakash Chopra has lauded Bhuvneshwar Kumar for delivering an unbelievable spell in India's Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 clash against Afghanistan.
The Men in Blue set a massive 212-run target for Mohammad Nabi and Co. in Dubai on Thursday, September 8. Bhuvneshwar then registered figures of 5/4 in his four overs to help complete an emphatic 101-run win.
While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was all praise for the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer, elaborating:
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar came and swung the ball, took five wickets for four runs. A football score (5-4) on a cricket ground, such a thing also happens. Zazai was dismissed right at the start, in the first over. After that, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and then Karim Janat."
Chopra pointed out that the match was all but over by the time the swing bowler ended his spell. The former India batter observed:
"Wickets were falling one after the other. Najibullah Zadran - two reviews were also gone by the time four guys were out. After that, he completed a five-wicket haul as well - incredible. The story was over there itself."
Fewest runs conceded by pacers picking a fifer in men's T20Is (full members):
4 - Bhuvneshwar Kumar v AFG, today
6 - Umar Gul v NZ, 2009
6 - Umar Gul v SA, 2013
6 - Lasith Malinga v NZ, 2019
7 - Deepak Chahar v BAN, 2019
#INDvAFG
Bhuvneshwar bowled his four overs on the trot with the new ball. His five wickets reduced Afghanistan to 21/6 in seven overs, with Arshdeep Singh accounting for Nabi's dismissal.
"He didn't give an opportunity to do that" - Aakash Chopra on Bhuvneshwar Kumar not allowing a discussion about the other bowlers
Chopra highlighted that Bhuvneshwar's performance did not allow a debate on either the inclusion or exclusion of some of the other bowlers. He said:
"Deepak Chahar got a chance in this match. Ravi Bishnoi and Chahal were not played in this match. We had to discuss about them but he didn't give an opportunity to do that."
On a lighter note, Chopra concluded by saying that Dinesh Karthik played the finisher's role as a bowler. The renowned commentator elaborated:
"Almost everyone got a wicket, Axar's account was empty. Deepak Hooda also got a wicket. Dinesh Karthik bowled the last over. I am pretty sure the discussion might have been that Dinesh Karthik is the finisher, but finisher as a batter and not as a bowler. I am just kidding."
With the match already sealed in India's favor, KL Rahul gave Karthik the last over of the Afghanistan innings. The wicketkeeper-batter was smashed for 18 runs, which included a couple of sixes.