IPL 2021: "You are too slow, my friend" - Aakash Chopra highlights Shubman Gill's strike rate did not help KKR's cause

Aakash Chopra feels Shubman Gill's slightly slow batting could have strangled the Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) hopes of overhauling the massive target set for them by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

CSK set a 193-run target for the Eoin Morgan-led side in last night's IPL 2021 final. They then restricted KKR to a score of 165/9 in their allotted 20 overs to walk home victors by 27 runs.

Speaking about KKR's run chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was slightly critical of Shubman Gill's approach. He explained:

"One thing is seen in Shubman Gill that his strike rate is not really flattering. It is okay till the power play but after that, it keeps on slowing down. If you make 51 off 43 balls and your team is chasing 192, you are too slow, my friend. The next upgrade for Shubman Gill is the strike rate."

However, the cricketer-turned-commentator was effusive in his praise of Venkatesh Iyer's dynamic knock. Chopra elaborated:

"Desh hai, videsh hai, charcha-e-Venkatesh hai. He got a chance, Dinesh Karthik had missed a stumping earlier, here MS Dhoni dropped a catch. But what a phenomenal player he is. His confidence and skill are of a different level."

Iyer was put down by MS Dhoni before he opened his account. The southpaw made the best use of the let-off by blasting 50 runs off 32 deliveries.

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"After that, it was a procession" - Aakash Chopra on KKR's dismal middle-order batting

Eoin Morgan has struggled for KKR throughout the season [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra added that Rahul Tripathi's injury was a huge blow to KKR. He reasoned:

"After that, it was a procession. Tripathi got injured, that was actually a game-changing moment as well. He was one of their main strikers, he used to manage the middle order but he was not there."

The 44-year-old concluded by stating that KKR had to pay for the dismal form of their middle order and the over-reliance on their openers. Chopra observed:

"Morgan's bat did not fire one more time. That's a very very sad story. You expect a player like Morgan will eventually come to the party. He still did not, Dinesh Karthik still did not, Shakib Al Hasan batting too low but still did not. You can't win a final just on the basis of Venkatesh Iyer and Shubman Gill."

While Shakib Al Hasan got out for a golden duck, Eoin Morgan and Dinesh Karthik scored a total of 13 runs between them. KKR slipped from a promising position of 91 for no loss to 125/8 to bat themselves out of the encounter.

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