"His wickets were proper big wickets" - Aakash Chopra chooses Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as his Player of the Match for 1st IND-WI ODI
Aakash Chopra has picked Ravindra Jadeja ahead of Kuldeep Yadav as his Player of the Match for the first ODI between India and the West Indies.
Jadeja (3/37) and Kuldeep (4/6) ran through the Windies' middle and lower order as the hosts were bowled out for 114 after being asked to bat first in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Thursday, July 27. Rohit Sharma and Co. then chased down the target with five wickets and more than 27 overs to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Jadeja deserved to be the Player of the Match ahead of Kuldeep. He said:
"Who was the Player of the Match? If you would have seen the match, you would know it was Kuldeep Yadav because he bowled only three overs, picked up four wickets and conceded just six runs. Well done Kuldeep Yadav, you did very well, but my Player of the Match is Ravindra Jadeja."
He added:
"You might say - why? According to me, there should be some parameters or criteria for the Player of the Match. Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets - Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd. His wickets were proper big wickets."
The former Indian opener pointed out that apart from dismissing the more accomplished batters, the spin-bowling all-rounder also scored crucial runs, elaborating:
"They were Nos. 5, 6 and 7. It is believed that batters at those numbers bat better than Nos. 8 to 11. In the end, he also scored an unbeaten 16 and if he too had got out, (Virat) Kohli would have got to bat. Just think about it, that could have also happened."
Jadeja walked out to bat with the score reading 70/3 at the fall of Hardik Pandya's wicket. He scored an unbeaten 16 off 21 balls and strung together an unbroken 21-run sixth-wicket partnership with Rohit Sharma (12* off 19) to take the visitors across the line in a low-scoring affair.
"I am not taking anything away from Kuldeep" - Aakash Chopra on choosing Ravindra Jadeja as his Player of the Match
![Kuldeep Yadav mesmerized the West Indies lower-order batters with his bag of tricks. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/07/a88f6-16905206863755-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra acknowledged that Kuldeep Yadav cannot be blamed for not getting to bowl earlier in the innings, stating:
"I am not taking anything away from Kuldeep. The fact is that when his bowling came, six batters were already out. It is not his mistake that he didn't dismiss the top-order batters."
However, he added that Ravindra Jadeja wins his vote because Shai Hope was the only frontline batter to be dismissed by Kuldeep. He said:
"He dismissed Shai Hope, which is fantastic but other than that - Jayden Seales, Yannic Cariah, and Dominic Drakes. You know how much I love Kuldeep but for this match, I am going with Ravindra Jadeja as my Player of the Match."
Jadeja dismissed Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, and Romario Shepherd in quick succession when the West Indies were decently placed at 88/3. Kuldeep then got rid of Dominic Drakes, Yannic Cariah, and Jayden Seales, apart from Hope, in a three-over spell to close out the Windies' innings.