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Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has stated that he is extremely impressed with UAE leg-spinner Karthik Meiyappan. The tweaker picked up a fantastic hat trick against Sri Lanka on Tuesday at the T20 World Cup.
Meiyappan is just 22 years of age, but already looks set to be a future star. Chopra also claimed that the UAE leg-spinner has been a net bowler for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
In a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra explained how these stints with the Indian Premier League giants must have helped Meiyappan develop even quicker. He said:
"Meiyappan is originally from Trichy and has been in the camps of Bangalore and Chennai as a net bowler. So he would have definitely gained some valuable insights during those days."
Chopra also praised the leg-spinner for bamboozling the Sri Lankan batters. The likes of Charith Asalanka and Dasun Shanaka weren't even looking to play big shots, but were bamboozled by Meiyappan's guile. He added:
"While [Bhanuka] Rajapaksa got out hitting a big shot, Meiyappan bowled brilliantly to dismiss the other two batters and complete his hat trick. He gave his team a genuine chance to beat Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankans did get the required runs but will need to tell their batters to bat more sensibly."
Sri Lanka will not know exact equation needed to qualify: Aakash Chopra
Sri Lanka kept their race to the Super 12 stage alive with a fantastic 79-run win over the UAE. But their net run-rate is still lower than that of Namibia and the Lankans find themselves third in the points table.
Sri Lanka are set to play their final group game before Namibia. Aakash Chopra believes this could have some effect:
"Even after beating UAE by 79 runs, Sri Lanka are still third in the points table. They will play the first game on Friday against the Netherlands and will not know the exact equation needed to qualify."
The former cricketer believes Namibia will hold the aces going into their final group game as they will know exactly what's needed to qualify. He added:
"Namibia will play UAE later, so they will know what needs to be done to keep their net run rate good enough. So this is set to be an interesting finale."
Sri Lanka will take on the Netherlands in their final game, while Namibia will compete against UAE. Both matches will take place on October 20.
Who among Sri Lanka, Namibia and the Netherlands would qualify for the Super 12 stage? Let us know in the comments.
