"In the last 5-7 overs, it seemed like the Chennai Express' wheels had got stuck" - Aakash Chopra lauds SRH's bowling in IPL 2024 win vs CSK

Aakash Chopra has noted that the SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) stingy bowling and Pat Cummins' excellent captaincy stalled the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the final few overs of their innings in their IPL 2024 clash in Hyderabad on Friday, April 5.

SRH restricted CSK to 165/5 after asking them to bat first. The home team then chased down the target with six wickets and 11 deliveries to spare to register their second win of the tournament.

Reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra praised SRH's restrictive bowling and Cummins' captaincy.

"Pat Cummins' captaincy was good. He didn't let them see spin at all after 10 overs. They did a lot of bowling by rotating their fingers over the ball. Everyone, including him, did that, and everybody was economical," he explained (16:05).

"Ultimately, in the last 5-7 overs, it seemed like the Chennai Express' wheels had got stuck. They went crawling until the 20-over mark, whether it was Ravindra Jadeja or Daryl Mitchell. Moeen Ali didn't get to bat and Mahi (MS Dhoni) came for just two or three balls. It just did not get going," the former India opener added.

CSK seemed headed to a 180-plus total when the score read 119/2 after 13.3 overs. However, once Cummins got rid of the explosive Shivam Dube (45 off 24), the visitors managed only 46 runs off the final 38 balls of their innings.

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"We have been saying from the start that this could be the breakthrough season for this batter" - Aakash Chopra lauds SRH opener Abhishek Sharma

Abhishek Sharma smashed 37 runs off just 12 deliveries. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on SRH's chase, Aakash Chopra chose Abhishek Sharma as their first star performer.

"Abhishek Sharma, eventually Player of the Match as well, how well he is batting - a strike rate of 308. He is doing clean hitting. We have been saying from the start that this could be the breakthrough season for this batter and he is consistently showing that by doing it," he said (17:10).

The cricketer-turned-commentator also praised Aiden Markram for playing a well-planned knock.

"Abhishek Sharma batted beautifully and Aiden Markram started from where he left. The thing I liked about his batting is that he was giving himself room and trying to hit on the off-side. He came with a plan and absolutely stuck with it till the end. He exposed Chennai's bowling a little," Chopra elaborated.

Abhishek smoked three fours and four sixes in his swashbuckling knock. Markram, who replaced him at the crease, played a more steady innings, hitting four fours and a six in his 36-ball 50.