“You missed a trick”, Aakash Chopra criticizes Hardik Pandya for not using Yuzi Chahal properly in the 1st T20I

Aakash Chopra, the former Indian opener, recently expressed concerns about Hardik Pandya’s handling of Yuzvendra Chahal during the first T20I match between India and the West Indies. In the game that took place in Tarouba, Trinidad on August 3, Chahal delivered an impressive performance, registering figures of 2/24 in three overs. The West Indies set a target of 150 runs for India after choosing to bat first.

Chahal’s notable performance included taking the wickets of Kyle Mayers and Brandon King in quick succession during the fifth over of the West Indies innings. However, his rhythm was disrupted when Nicholas Pooran managed to hit him for a four and a six in the same over. Following this, Hardik Pandya took over the bowling duties from Chahal’s end and bowled three consecutive overs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra criticized Hardik Pandya’s decision not to allow Chahal to bowl his full quota of overs. He expressed disappointment with Chahal being taken out of the attack despite taking two crucial wickets in just three deliveries. Chopra believed that Chahal should have been given the opportunity to continue his spell, especially considering the impact he had already made on the game.

Aakash Chopra said “India didn’t start that well with the ball. Then came Yuzi Chahal and he picked up two wickets in an over. After that, he was stopped. In my opinion, if Yuzi Chahal didn’t bowl four overs in yesterday’s match despite taking two wickets in his first over, you missed a trick.”

He added more “I was a little disappointed because you were holding back his three overs. You could have dismissed Nicholas Pooran because he bowls very well to lefties but you stopped him. You said you will get him to bowl later. It was slightly surprising.”

As a result of this decision, India faced challenges in restricting the West Indies to a lower score, and eventually, the visitors were limited to 145/9, narrowly losing the match by four runs and going 1-0 down in the five-match series.