"He bowls at stumps, so you can't cut, and also at speed, so you can't pull"- Aakash Chopra dissects Anrich Nortje's bowling ahead of 2nd IND vs SA 2022 T20I
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra often likes to analyze how certain players are getting huge success with the way they are executing their primary skill. Ahead of the second T20I between India and South Africa at Cuttack tonight, the 44-year-old spoke about Proteas speedster Anrich Nortje.
Nortje was retained by the Delhi Capitals (DC), but couldn't get to the best of starts as he had just recovered from an injury. However, speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra explained that the speedster is only getting better with more game time. He said:
"This is Nortje, whose processor has been updated to the latest version. He was retained (by Delhi) ahead of Kagiso Rabada and although he was injured, he began to improve towards the end of the IPL season. "
Aakash Chopra also explained how Nortje doesn't allow the batter to free his arms and also doesn't give them enough time to judge the length of a delivery with his searing pace.
"For scoring runs, a batter needs two things, one is room. You can open your arms and score runs square of the wicket, or pull if the ball is short enough. Other is you need a tad less speed. If you want to pull, you need time to swivel. He bowls at the stumps consistently so you can't cut and also bowls quick so you don't get time to pull."
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Aakash Chopra explains why playing Anrich Nortje will be a challenge for Indian batters
Chopra also spoke about how Notje gives nothing away when he uses the crease. The speedster bowls from as close to the stumps as possible, giving the batter almost no room to make use of his crease and improvise by playing a scoop shot. He stated:
"This is a game of angles, but he bowls from so close to the stumps that you can't hit the full balls across because you will get bowled or LBW. He bowls in straight lines and at very high speed, so it will be a challenge to Indian batters."
India will be keen to make a comeback against the Proteas and level the series at Cuttack.