IPL 2021: Aakash Chopra Picks His Six Best Bowling Spells; Names Harshal Patel's Five-Wicket Haul vs Mumbai Indians As His Favorite Bowling Performance

Former India batsman Aakash Chopra has named Harshal Patel’s 5/27 in the season opener against the Mumbai Indians as his best bowling performance of the IPL 2021 before the season got suspended. He announced it while picking his top 6 bowling spells on his YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra was impressed by Patel’s change of pace and variations in the death overs against a powerful MI batting order.

He then talked about Harpreet Brar’s memorable 3-wicket haul against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in which the spinner accounted for the wickets of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and AB de Villiers.

Aakash Chopra had Deepak Chahar’s elite level powerplay bowling show against the Punjab Kings at the third position. The Chennai Super Kings pacer effectively won his side the game inside 7 overs – while bowling 4 overs on a trot with the new ball, the seamer dismantled Punjab’s top- and middle-order with figures of 4/13.

“At No.1 is my favorite bowling performance of the season so far, I have picked Harshal Patel. It came in the first match against Mumbai (5/27). You have a four-over spell and there if you take five wickets, that too while coming at the end. He bowled very good slower ones and perfect yorkers,” Aakash Chopra said in the latest video uploaded on his Youtube channel.

“Second on my list is Harpreet Brar. He took three wickets while giving 19 runs, but who were those three wickets. He conceded 10 runs in his first over and then a boundary off the first ball of his second over. And then you dismiss Kohli, Maxwell and AB de Villiers, which was the icing on the cake.

“At No.3, I have picked Deepak Chahar’s 4/13 vs Punjab. First he dismissed Mayank Agarwal, it was an outstanding ball. After that he dismissed Chris Gayle and Hooda in his four wickets. It was game, set and match,” he added.

Aakash Chopra adds Chris Morris, Andre Russell, and Rahul Chahar’s spells to his list

For the next three bowling performances, Aakash Chopra enjoyed the most he went with those of Chris Morris, Andre Russell and Rahul Chahar.

Moriss’ 4/23 helped Rajasthan Royals defeat the Kolkata Knight Riders, while Andre Russell’s effort of 5/15 – the best bowling figures in the tournament hitherto – in a 2-over spell against the Mumbai Indians, went in vain as Rahul Chahar struck back with a 4-wicket haul to help MI stage a comeback.

“At No.4, I have kept Chris Morris’ four-wicket spell against KKR while conceding just 23 runs. Kolkata is a dangerous team and Rajasthan did not have Jofra. So you keep looking towards Morris but will he bowl at the start, middle and then at the end. He did all of that.

“At No.5 I have kept Andre Russell who took 5/15 against the Mumbai Indians, that too in two overs. He went round the stumps and kept bowling wide with the angle and dismissed everyone one by one,” the former India opener observed.

“At No.6, is the performance of Deepak’s brother. It was in the same KKR vs MI match. KKR was not chasing a huge score and there Rahul Chahar took four wickets which included Eoin Morgan and Nitish Rana. Everyone was trying to play shots and getting stuck in his web,” the 43-year-old commentator concluded.

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