"You might say it is slightly bittersweet" - Aakash Chopra picks 3 best moments of Indian cricket in 2021
Aakash Chopra has picked three defining moments of Indian cricket in 2021. He shared these moments through a video on his YouTube channel.
Team India had an exceptional year in Test cricket, with the loss in the World Test Championship final being the only low point. Although the Men in Blue also had a decent year in the limited-overs formats, their inability to make the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup would have hurt them a lot.
While stating that he would go in reverse order, Aakash Chopra picked India's crushing loss to Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2021 as one of the defining moments of the year.
He said:
"You might say it is slightly bittersweet or what is good in that. Not good or bad but it defines Indian cricket. Remember the World Cup game we lost to Pakistan. India was totally destroyed and Pakistan won by 10 wickets."
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the camaraderie between Virat Kohli and the Pakistan duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan deserves a lot of praise.
Aakash Chopra elaborated:
"But after that, if you leave the outside noise aside, the picture that comes to mind is Babar Azam and Rizwan hugging Virat Kohli. That hug told us a lot of things. Kohli and the Indian team would have had a bigger heartbreak than us but what Virat Kohli did was magnanimous."
Aakash Chopra chose Team India's 151-run win over England at Lord's as the second-best moment of 2021.
He observed:
"My second moment is Lord's. India played well in the first innings - Rahul scored a century and Rohit played well. There is a collapse on the second morning and Joe Root hits another century, that too 180. You conceded the first-innings lead."
The former India opener highlighted that the Virat Kohli-led side had staged a tremendous comeback after they seemed down and out on multiple occasions during the Test.
Aakash Chopra explained:
"In the second innings, India were 55/3 at one stage and Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara were playing to save their places. They have a big partnership but again you are 209/8 and then the amazing partnership between Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. After that, England were bowled out for 120 in just 51 overs."
INDIA WIN!!! 🇮🇳🇮🇳
India have done it! They have beaten England at Lord’s by 151 runs with just 8 overs to spare 👏
What a day! What a Test! 🔥
#ENGvIND https://t.co/MuNIWaLQYk
The win at Lord's helped Team India take a 1-0 lead in the Pataudi Trophy. Although they lost the next Test at Headingley, they bounced back to take a 2-1 lead at the Oval, with the final Test of the five-match series to be played next year.
Aakash Chopra's best moment of Team India in 2021
Aakash Chopra unsurprisingly chose the historic series-clinching win at the Gabba as Team India's best moment of 2021.
He reasoned:
"At No.1, it has to be Gabba. Our bowling lineup was Mohammed Siraj, T Natarajan, Shardul Thakur, Navdeep Saini and Washington Sundar - what was the chance of India doing well in that game? Australia scored 369 when they batted first. India conceded the lead and were only able to fight because Washi and Shardul scored 62 and 67."
The 44-year-old lauded Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant for their defining roles on the final day of the Test.
Chopra elaborated:
"Australia scored 294 in the second innings. You lost Rohit Sharma early on the final day but after that the counterattack. Shubman Gill hit from one end, Pujara was standing at the other end and was getting hit all over the body but when he got out it seemed the game will be stuck. But Rishabh Pant went on playing and hit the winning runs in the end. It was absolutely sensational."
✅ Brisbane
✅ The Oval (after 1971)
✅ Centurion
Three fortresses breached! 💪 What a memorable year it has been for Team India 😍🇮🇳 https://t.co/HyEsi3P2Vi
Aakash Chopra concluded by stating that the 113-run win in the just-concluded Centurion Test against South Africa should also be part of Indian cricket's best moments of 2021.