"An expensive over should not have been so discouraging" - Aakash Chopra says Yuzvendra Chahal not being given his full quota was a mistake

Aakash Chopra believes it was a mistake not to bowl Yuzvendra Chahal his full quota of four overs in the first T20I between Team India and South Africa on Thursday, 9 June.

The Men In Blue failed to defend a 212-run target as South Africa won the match by a handsome margin of seven wickets. Chahal was given only two overs before he was called back to bowl the 20th over when the visitors needed just four runs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on India's defense of the 212-run target. The former Indian batter pointed out that the hosts made quite a few mistakes, elaborating:

"South Africa were 81/3 when Rassie and David Miller came together. And after that, there were quite a few questions. Yuzi Chahal not bowling his overs, was that a mistake, I feel it was. An expensive over should not have been so discouraging that he is not bowled his full overs."

Chopra highlighted that the wily leg-spinner can bounce back even after an indifferent start. He reasoned:

"You gave him one over in the powerplay and one in the middle and then after that the 20th. It is a small ground but the dew was not there and Yuzi Chahal has grown up while playing at the Chinnaswamy, he can come back, he could have given you a wicket."

Chahal was taken for 16 runs when he was introduced into the attack to bowl the fourth over of the powerplay. He gave away only six runs in the next over he bowled, the eighth over of the Proteas innings, but was not given the ball thereafter until the very end.

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"The game changed completely" - Aakash Chopra on the 22-run over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was taken to the cleaners in the 18th over of the South African innings [P/C: BCCI]

Chopra reckons the 22-run 18th over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, which followed another 22-run over from Harshal Patel, altered the course of the match. He observed:

"Bhuvneshwar Kumar started very well but after that, there was an over in which he conceded 22 runs, the game changed completely. The catch that was dropped off Avesh Khan's bowling, it made a difference of 46 runs. Rassie scored 75 and was at 30-odd at that time."

The reputed commentator also picked Shreyas Iyer's dropped catch of Rassie van der Dussen as another game-defining moment. Chopra said:

"It was a big moment where it was a free home delivery in Shreyas Iyer's hands and he said he doesn't need it. That was a game-changing moment. India's bowling was absolutely ordinary in the end."

Van der Dussen was put down by Shreyas at deep midwicket when he scored just 29 runs off 30 deliveries. The right-hander made India pay for the let-off by smashing 46 runs off the final 16 deliveries he faced.

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