Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that Gujarat Titans vice-captain Rashid Khan held the key for his team in the Indian Premier League as his one-off game in the grand final, let 2022 IPL champions fall short of their team’s second consecutive title in the cash-rich league.
Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan conceded 44 runs from his three overs in the rain-curtailed game, as the CSK batters took on the Gujarat Titans bowler in the middle overs to take the championship title away from the Hardik Pandya-led side.
Speaking on his youtube channel, Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra pointed out the reason behind the loss of the Gujarat Titans in the final ball of the grand encounter, as he stated that Rashid Khan held all the aces for the team, which he eventually failed in the finals.
“It is generally said Rashid Khan, we say Rashid can. He had one bad match, which was the final, where he conceded 44 runs in his three overs and Gujarat could not defend. This is going to happen because Rashid Khan actually holds all the aces,” Aakash Chopra said.
Aakash Chopra believes that Rashid Khan had a moderate season in 2022, as he took his game to a different level in the 2023 season, as he was joined second highest wicket-taker in the league with 27 wickets alongside his teammate Mohit Sharma.
“The last season was okay but this season he took it to a different level. The number of wickets that he picked. He had a new role as well this year, you saw him bowling an over in the first six overs, which was not the case earlier. He did that job as well this year.”
Rashid Khan And Noor Ahmed have been the pillar of strength for the defending Gujarat Titans as they are bowling in tandem to provide a vital breakthrough for them in this edition of the Indian Premier League.
Rashid Khan Got Very Little Batting Because Of The Impact Player Rule – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra feels that we got less opportunity to see batting exploits in this edition of the Indian Premier League, especially with the introduction of the impact player and hailed for his bowling consistency.
In the game against Mumbai Indians, he almost pulled off the unthinkable to score an unbeaten 79 of just 32 balls including ten sixes and three fours but could not find support at the other end falling short of the target.
“He got very little batting because of the ‘Impact Player’ rule but when he got to bat – 79 not out. Bowling has gone one step higher this year. It is beyond my understanding how he has been able to do that because eventually everyone gets found out. Even Sunil Narine’s mystery was eventually solved,” Aakash Chopra added.
The 24-year-old has been one of the best T20 players in the world and has once again proved his worth in the cash-rich league, with the ability to contribute to the team’s success with both bat and ball and will look to do well for the national team in Asia Cup 2023 and ODI World Cup 2023.