"It wasn't a century but it was no less than that" - Aakash Chopra on the difficulty in choosing MVP for CSK-GT IPL 2023 final
Aakash Chopra has highlighted the difficulty in choosing the most valuable player (MVP) for the IPL 2023 final considering that the best knock of the game came in a losing cause.
Sai Sudharsan smashed 96 runs off 47 balls as the Gujarat Titans (GT) posted a mammoth 214/4 after being asked to bat first in Ahmedabad on Monday, May 29. However, his knock went in vain as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pulled off a five-wicket win via the DLS method off the very last ball.
While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra acknowledged that it was tough to pick one MVP, especially considering the incredible knock played by Sudharsan, elaborating:
"Most valuable player - difficult choice. How do you pick one? It was the sort of match where you say this is right and that is also right or how you could not pick a particular guy."
The former Indian opener added:
"If I say Sai Sudharsan is not the player of the match, it will be an injustice. An uncapped Indian player scored 96 runs. It wasn't a century but it was no less than that. If you see it from the viewpoint of an uncapped Indian, this is an incredible knock."
While observing that the Gujarat Titans youngster played a belligerent knock, Chopra was unsure whether he should be the MVP, saying:
"You didn't play him matches every time but he shone whenever you played him at No. 3. You retired him out in the last match but he was hitting sixes one after the other in this match. But is he the most valuable player?"
Sudharsan's 96-run knock was studded with eight fours and six sixes. He was unfortunate to miss out on his maiden IPL century as Matheesha Pathirana trapped him in front of the wickets in the final over of the Gujarat Titans innings.
"I have no idea who should be the most valuable player" - Aakash Chopra
![Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad gave a flying start to CSK's chase. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/05/8bd9e-16854166915324-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra pointed out that a plethora of Chennai Super Kings batters played crucial knocks, stating:
"What about the small-small knocks, the knocks were small, but there you remember that life and innings should not be long but memorable and effective because none of the Chennai batters scored a half-century. I have no idea who should be the most valuable player."
The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by choosing Ravindra Jadeja as his MVP, reasoning:
"Shall we go with Sir Ravindra Jadeja? I can give it to both Sai Sudharsan and Ravindra Jadeja but it is a final, we should pick one. I am going with Ravindra Jadeja for the simple reason that he picked up a wicket, it is not that he didn't get hit, but 10 runs can't be scored off the last two balls. This match was done and dusted."
CSK required 10 runs off the final two deliveries. Jadeja smoked Mohit Sharma for a six and then clipped him for a boundary to help his team bag a record-equaling fifth IPL title.