Aakash Chopra praises Harmanpreet Kaur’s performance against the Gujarat Giants. In their season opener, the Mumbai Indians captain unleashed a stinging attack on the Gujarat Giants.
The WPL 2023 opener between Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Giants was an unmitigated bloodbath. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team crushing their opponents by 143 runs. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra lauded the Mumbai Indians’ captain after her dashing 65 off 30 deliveries.
Mumbai Indians got off to a poor start, as Yastika Bhatia was out in the third over following a slow innings. Nevertheless, the Gujarat Giants were unable to build on their early success, as Mumbai’s star-studded middle order rose to the occasion in the season opener.
As Hayley Matthews and Nat Sciver-Brunt stabilized the ship for their side with a good partnership, Harmanpreet Kaur’s rollicking half-century sent Mumbai Indians into overdrive in the final ten overs. The Indian captain delivered a batting masterclass, hitting 14 boundaries in her blazing performance.
“Gujarat had an incredible start, eliminating Yastika Bhatia early on, but the way Hayley Matthews and Harmanpreet Kaur played after that – she put on a display of fours. Cut above the competition. She was fondling the ball. Hitting fours by pushing the ball into spaces. She was really fantastic, Demonstrated that she is one of the world’s best T20 hitters. She had fantastic sweeps and cuts, and her driving was excellent “Chopra stated this in a video posted to his YouTube page.
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It was an absolute annihilation: Aakash Chopra
Harmanpreet’s departure in the seventeenth over gave Gujarat Giants a brief reprieve as Amelia Kerr took over from her skipper in the closing parts of the game, hitting 45 runs off only 24 deliveries to propel her team to a huge total of 207 runs after 20 overs.
Gujarat’s response got off to the worst possible start as key skipper Beth Mooney limped off the field in the first over of the chase owing to an injury. Mumbai Indians went all over their opponents, eliminating them for a meagre 64 runs, much like their batting effort. Aakash Chopra lauded the efforts of left-arm spinner Saika Ishaque, who returned with 4/11 figures.
“Amelia Kerr, a fantastic all-rounder from New Zealand, also batted brilliantly and helped the team to 207. They believe you need a solid start while chasing 207. Beth Mooney’s injury could not have come at a worse time. The wickets continued to fall one after the other. Saika Ishaque stepped in and took four wickets. Batter after batter came and went. Ashleigh Gardner was called out for a duck. That was total devastation “Chopra went on to say.
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