IPL 2023: Aakash Chopra Applauds Wriddhiman Saha’s Knock for Gujarat Titans in the Final

Former India player turned commentator Aakash Chopra has praised Wriddhiman Saha for giving the Gujarat Titans (GT) a flying start in the IPL 2023 final against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Saha scored 54 runs off 39 deliveries as Hardik Pandya and Co. posted a huge total of 214/4 in 20 overs after being asked to bat first at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday, May 29.

However, CSK won the game later on by five wickets via the DLS method to clinch a record-equaling fifth IPL title alongside Mumbai Indians. While reflecting on the Titans’ innings in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra praised Saha for helping the team in the crunch match. He added:

“Wriddhiman Saha was brilliant and he does this job. You think about preparing for Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya, you prepare for everyone but forget that you have this chapter as well in your book. The question comes from this chapter only in the final. He scored an extremely beautiful half-century.”

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He also applauded MS Dhoni for brilliantly dismissing Shubman Gill, which made headlines as well. However, he was dropped by Deepak Chahar when he was on three. Later no, they had to pay for that as he scored 20-ball 39.

“This is a masterstroke – the field that was set for Shubman Gill. For the first time I saw an odd field to stop Shubman Gill’s storm. He kept a square-leg fielder to the right of the square-leg umpire and a fielder at deep midwicket. A catch went there which was dropped. Shubman Gill was batting very well but eventually got out,” he shared.

Aakash Chopra applauded Sai Sudharsan for playing a swashbuckling knock after a slow start. He hit eight fours and six sixes during his 96-run knock. He stitched an 81-run third-wicket partnership with Hardik Pandya, who scored an unbeaten 21 off 12 balls.

“Then Sai Sudharsan. We weren’t sure whether Sai will come out to bat. He wasn’t even going at a run-a-ball in the first six to eight balls but after that, there was a pivotal moment – a straight four, another towards point, and then a six off Ravindra Jadeja, and then he was unstoppable. I think it was a beautiful 96. We have seen many centuries this year but this 96 was better than many of those centuries because it came under pressure in a final game and against the trap Mahi (MS Dhoni) had laid from behind the stumps. Sai Sudharsan – one for the future,” he concluded.