IPL 2021 | Ishan Kishan left his mark on the match: Aakash Chopra on the opener's blazing knock for the Mumbai Indians
Aakash Chopra feels Ishan Kishan left an indelible mark with his smashing innings for the Mumbai Indians (MI) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Friday.
Kishan smoked 84 runs off just 32 deliveries and smashed the SRH bowlers all over the park in yesterday's IPL 2021 encounter. Although the knock helped the Mumbai Indians register a win, the five-time champions were knocked out of the current edition of the Indian Premier League.
While reviewing the Mumbai Indians' batting performance in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was particularly effusive in his praise for Kishan. He observed:
"Ishan Kishan was on a mission and he left his nishan (impression) on the match. His batting was wonderful. Rohit was there along with him and it seemed like Rohit is a new player and Ishan Kishan is an established T20 rockstar."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that both Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav regaining their form is a great sign for Indian cricket. Chopra elaborated:
"Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav and the rest of the batsmen, they hit a lot. Whether their knocks help Mumbai or not, the Indians will be happy. Finally, form has done friendship with our two Indian young players."
Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav are both part of the 15-member Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The Indian selectors may have been a little concerned about the duo's form ahead of the global event, but Friday's knocks should put them at ease.
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Aakash Chopra on Suryakumar Yadav's knock for the Mumbai Indians
While expressing surprise at the Mumbai Indians' batting order, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Yadav's knock (82 off 40 balls) was almost as destructive as Kishan's. He explained:
"It was a strange batting order as Hardik Pandya came at No.3, Kieron Pollard came at No.4 and after that came Suryakumar. If Ishan Kishan made 84 in 32 balls, he also made 82 in 40 balls."
The 44-year-old signed off by stating that the Mumbai Indians' batting performance had almost lived up to their anthem. Chopra said:
"Duniya hila denge is their song and the Mumbai Indians almost did that. The way they were hitting it seemed as though they were playing book cricket. It seemed at one time that the Mumbai Indians might make 300."
Kishan and Yadav dominated the Mumbai Indians' batting effort, with Rohit Sharma's 18 being the third-highest score. It will be interesting to see if the franchise retain either of them ahead of the mega auction.