Aakash Chopra praised Usman Khawaja for his exceptional performance in the fourth Test against India held in Ahmedabad. Khawaja scored an impressive 180 runs, faced an enormous 422 balls, and made the Indian bowlers appear completely powerless.
Although there was a significant amount of discussion about the batting prowess of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja has demonstrated how he is often overlooked as a formidable opponent. His ability to score runs in countries like the UAE, Pakistan, and now even India is proof of his skill.
Aakash Chopra praises Usman Khawaja
Aakash Chopra evaluated the performance of Usman Khawaja in a video posted on his YouTube channel and concluded that Khawaja was the most outstanding overseas opener in recent years.
“Usman Khawaja was simply brilliant for his 180. No matter how flat the pitch is, it’s never easy to bat for so long as it requires a lot of concentration. His wicket itself was a lapse in concentration, but he is definitely the best overseas opener who has visited Indian shores in the past 7-8 years,” Chopra said.
Aakash Chopra on Cameron Green
Aakash Chopra also praised Cameron Green, who scored his first century in a Test match. Green entered the game when Australia was at 170/4 and needed to accelerate their run rate. Green was able to provide the necessary push and played an innings that arguably made it more challenging for India to win. Chopra mentioned that India did not use any unconventional strategies to dismiss Green.
“Cameron Green played a special knock and will be one of the best all-rounders the world has ever seen. The one thing that I was disappointed to see was that we didn’t even try the short ball trap to Green. You could have had fielders on leg side and then from around the wicket could have tried to pin him and induce a false shot. You get a lot of rest as a fast bowler when you have three spinners in the line-up so it could have been tried,” he said.
Despite being 444 runs behind in their first innings, India will have a good opportunity to score significant runs on Day 3 of the match due to favorable batting conditions. The team will want their top order to perform exceptionally well and score heavily.
