"He did a king size job and won his team the match" - Aakash Chopra picks Brandon King as his Player of the Match ahead of Romario Shepherd

Aakash Chopra believes Brandon King and not Romario Shepherd was the standout performer in the fifth T20I between India and the West Indies.

The Men in Blue set the Windies a 166-run target in the final game of the five-match series in Lauderhill, Florida, on Sunday, August 13. King then smoked an unbeaten 85 off just 55 deliveries as Rovman Powell and Co. won the match by eight wickets with two overs to spare to clinch the series 3-2.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked King as his Player of the Match ahead of Shepherd, who was the official choice. He elaborated:

"Romario Shepherd was given the Player of the Match award, which was adjudicated by the commentators. In my opinion, it was Brandon King. In the last match we were saying Singh is king, Brandon said my name is King. He did a king size job and won his team the match."

While acknowledging that Shepherd bowled an excellent spell (4/31), the former Indian opener pointed out that the West Indies were still chasing a challenging target. He observed:

"Romario Shepherd did pick up four wickets, which was not a bad effort at all, actually a stellar effort, but the runs were not that less on that pitch, where the ball was turning."

Chopra added that Akeal Hosein and Roston Chase's performances with the ball suggested that the pitch was assisting the spinners. He said:

"Their two spinners, Akeal Hosein and along with him Roston Chase, conceded only 49 runs in eight overs and picked up three wickets. It means the conditions were helpful for spin."

Hosein (2/24) dismissed both Indian openers cheaply in the first three overs of the innings. Chase then took a brilliant catch off his own bowling to get rid of Tilak Varma and break his 49-run third-wicket partnership with Suryakumar Yadav before Shepherd ran through India's middle and lower order.

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"He was absolutely brilliant" - Aakash Chopra on Brandon King

Brandon King struck five fours and six sixes during his knock.

Aakash Chopra praised Brandon King for playing a dynamic knock that helped his side register an emphatic win. He stated:

"Brandon King's form has not been that good. I see him more as an ODI batter than a T20 batter. So the sort of knock he played and the way he played, the clean-hitting he did, he even hit once with just one hand, he was absolutely brilliant. He stayed till the end as well and won his team the match one-sided."

King added 107 runs for the second wicket with Nicholas Pooran (47 off 35) after Kyle Mayers' early dismissal. He then closed out the chase in Shai Hope's company, with the latter scoring an unbeaten 13-ball 22.