"He showed that he is a different guy" - Aakash Chopra lauds Kane Williamson's 'fighting' knock in the T20 World Cup 2021 final

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that Kane Williamson proved he is a class apart with his enterprising knock in the T20 World Cup 2021 final against Australia.

Williamson smoked 85 runs off just 48 deliveries to help New Zealand reach a fighting score of 172/4 in their allotted 20 overs. However, the Kangaroos chased down the target with relative ease to bag their maiden global title in the shortest format of the men's game.

While reflecting on New Zealand's batting performance in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was effusive in his praise for Williamson. He said:

"Kane once again was exceptional. Kane was fighting alone, he was absolutely incredible. The sort of knock he played, he showed that he is a different guy. He has tennis elbow and is not able to lift the bat with his left hand but despite that the sixes he hit and the way he batted."

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that it was their skipper's fighting knock that had kept the Kiwis in the game. Aakash Chopra elaborated:

"It was a captain's knock, it was a blazing knock, it was leading from the front. He gave New Zealand the chance to stay alive. He is absolute class although we don't consider him a T20 rockstar. It was unbelievable the way he demolished Mitchell Starc."

Williamson's knock was studded with 10 fours and three hits over the rope. The silken stroke-maker was dropped by Josh Hazlewood when he had scored a run-a-ball 21 and launched a brutal attack on the Aussie bowlers from then on.

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Aakash Chopra on Martin Guptill's uncharacteristic knock

Aakash Chopra was critical of Martin Guptill's laborious knock

Aakash Chopra highlighted that Martin Guptill's painstaking knock put New Zealand behind the eight ball. He reasoned:

"180 was the golden number but New Zealand couldn't reach till there although they could have. Guptill made 28 runs in 35 balls, which means you have scored 28 in six overs. So, you will have to score almost 160 runs in the remaining 14 overs to go beyond 180."

The 44-year-old concluded by stating that the Black Caps opener left too much to be done by their other batters. Aakash Chopra explained:

"Others make 160 in 14 and you make 28 in six. That's not right. I was most pained that he wasn't even trying. Only 57 runs were scored in the first ten overs for the loss of one wicket. It is understandable if you have lost three wickets."

New Zealand got off to a decent start when they scored 27 runs off the first 19 deliveries. However, their innings stalled at the fall of Daryl Mitchell's wicket as they managed just five more runs until the end of the powerplay overs.

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