"If you see Yastika Bhatia's drives, you will say the girl has the might" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians' WPL 2023 win against Gujarat Giants

Aakash Chopra has praised Yastika Bhatia for playing an attractive knock in the Mumbai Indians' (MI) Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 win against the Gujarat Giants (GG).

Yastika scored 44 runs off 37 deliveries as MI set a 163-run target for the Giants after being asked to bat first at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday, March 14. Their bowlers then restricted Sneh Rana and Co. to 107/9 to register an emphatic 55-run win.

While reviewing the game on the "AakashVani" show on JioCinema, Chopra compared Yastika Bhatia's drives to those of Smriti Mandhana, saying:

"Sneh Rana's captaincy was good. She got the team off to a good start, they dismissed Hayley Matthews in the first over. We praise Smriti Mandhana's drives a lot, but if you see Yastika Bhatia's drives, you will say the girl has the might."

The former Indian opener pointed out that the Mumbai Indians wicketkeeper-batter was unfortunate to miss out on a well-deserved half-century after a mix-up with Harmanpreet Kaur, observing:

"She has been very, very good. She crossed 40 once more, three consecutive innings above 40. She would have got a half-century but she got run out. Nat Sciver-Brunt also got out eventually. The umpiring was also extremely ordinary."

Yastika strung together a 74-run second-wicket partnership with Nat Sciver-Brunt after the Mumbai Indians lost Hayley Matthews' wicket in the first over. The left-handed opener scored 41 and 42 runs in the franchise's previous two games against the Delhi Capitals and UP Warriorz respectively.

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"Harmanpreet Kaur is unstoppable" - Aakash Chopra on Mumbai Indians captain's match-winning knock

Harmanpreet Kaur scored 51 runs off 30 balls. [P/C: WPL/Twitter]

Chopra also praised Harmanpreet Kaur for her consistent performances throughout the tournament, elaborating:

"Harmanpreet Kaur is unstoppable. She doesn't get to bat every time because Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia and Nat Sciver-Brunt do the job at times, but from the first game to this game, whenever she has got to bat, Harmanpreet Kaur's contribution has been outstanding."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by observing that the Gujarat Giants were never in the chase after losing Sophia Dunkley off the very first delivery, stating:

"They reached 162, which I thought was par for the course, but after that, Gujarat Giants - one, two, three, four, and everyone hailed the Mumbai Indians. Sophia Dunkley was dismissed off the first ball and then one after the other."

Nat Sciver-Brunt (3/21) and Hayley Matthews (3/23) were the Mumbai Indians' most successful bowlers. While Amelia Kerr accounted for two dismissals, Issy Wong picked up the other wicket to fall.

Poll : Who between Smriti Mandhana and Yastika Bhatia plays the drive better?

Smriti Mandhana

Yastika Bhatia

25 votes

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