Aakash Chopra picks his top 6 knocks of T20 World Cup 2022; includes only one knock by an Indian player
Aakash Chopra has picked only one knock played by an Indian batter among his top six innings from the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2022.
The cricketer-turned-commentator did not consider the final clash between England and Pakistan while making his choices. He also did not rank the knocks in any particular order.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Virat Kohli's unbeaten 82 against Pakistan as one of the best knocks of the tournament, elaborating:
"The first one I have is Virat Kohli's knock versus Pakistan. You were doing a run chase where you had lost wickets at the start. Then he had a partnership with Hardik and Hardik got out in the last over. You needed 28 runs off eight balls and he hit two sixes off Haris Rauf. I rate it the best T20I innings of Kohli's career."
Glenn Phillips' swashbuckling 104 against Sri Lanka also found favor with the former Indian opener. The latter said:
"After that, I have kept Glenn Phillips' name. New Zealand were stuck, if Pathum Nissanka had held his catch the story might have been different, but it didn't happen. Glenn Phillips hit a lot. He plays a slightly unorthodox kind of cricket. He plays fast bowling better but played spin amazingly well on that day."
Chopra chose Rashid Khan's blazing unbeaten 48 against Australia as one of his top knocks of the tournament. He explained:
"One knock was an out-of-syllabus question. It didn't come in a match-winning cause as well. It was Rashid Khan's knock. There was something special in that knock. He is a bowler and the Australian team was in front of him. There was no chance for the team to come close in this match but he came and kept on hitting sixes."
Rashid walked out to bat with Afghanistan needing 66 runs off just 33 balls with four wickets in hand. He smashed three fours and four sixes in his 23-ball effort but couldn't deny the Aussies a narrow four-run win.
"His knock didn't allow India to come back in the game at all" - Aakash Chopra on Alex Hales' semi-final effort
Chopra picked Alex Hales' match-winning unbeaten 86 in the semi-finals against India as one of the best batting efforts of the tournament. He stated:
"After that, I have kept Alex Hales' knock against India. The way he hit right from the start, the guy plays differently. He has only one gear and hits everyone equally. His knock didn't allow India to come back in the game at all."
Rilee Rossouw's 109 versus Bangladesh also won the reputed commentator's vote. The latter elaborated:
"Rilee Rossouw's knock, Temba (Bavuma) got out early, and Quinton de Kock was with him at the other end. You generally don't score a century in 20 overs. He is tall but bends down and keeps a lower center of gravity, plays the sweep and straight down the ground very well."
Chopra's final pick was Shadab Khan's game-defining half-century versus South Africa. He reasoned:
"I am going towards Shadab Khan's knock against South Africa. Once again a must-win game. If you hadn't beaten South Africa, there was no chance for you to reach the finals. The way he batted on that pitch, the team was stuck and to take them to a winnable score from there, I thought that Shadab knock was special."
20 - Shadab Khan registered the second fastest 50 by any Pakistan batter in men's T20Is, reaching the mark in 20 balls against South Africa (Shoaib Malik - 18 balls v SCO), eventually finishing with 52 runs. Rapid.
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Shadab smoked 52 runs off just 22 balls to help the Men in Green set a 186-run target for the Proteas. The spin-bowling all-rounder then picked up two wickets to help Pakistan register a 33-run win via the DLS method.