IND vs WI: Aakash Chopra Picks Ravindra Jadeja Ahead Of Kuldeep Yadav As His Player Of The Match For Barbados ODI
Published - 28 Jul 2023, 05:43 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:16 AM
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra stated that all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja deserved to be named Player of the Match in the first ODI against the West Indies. Aakash Chopra highlighted that Ravindra Jadeja picked up the wickets of key batters, while Kuldeep Yadav wrapped Windies’ tail.
India bundled out the West Indies team for just 114 runs after winning the toss in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Thursday, July 27. The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav shared seven wickets between them. The visitors chased down the target with five wickets in hand to take a 1-0 lead.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra emphasided the need for parameters to decide the Player of the Match.
“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.”
“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.”
Jadeja dismissed Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, and Romario Shepherd, while Kuldeep grabbed the scalps of Dominic Drakes, Yannic Cariah, Jayden Seales, and Shai Hope in the Windies’ innings.
He Also Scored An Unbeaten 16 – Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Ravindra Jadeja also added valuable runs with the bat in the run chase.
“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.”
Ravindra Jadeja was promoted to bat at No. 3 when the team’s score was 70/3. The left-handed batter played an unbeaten innings of 16 runs off 21 balls and formed an unbroken 21-run partnership with Rohit Sharma (12) to guide India to victory in a low-scoring match.
Also read: IND vs WI: “We Came To Know Why The West Indies Did Not Qualify For The World Cup” – Aakash Chopra
