"He picked up 4 wickets on a road-like pitch" - Aakash Chopra says Jasprit Bumrah should have been Player of the Match in IND vs AFG World Cup clash

Aakash Chopra lauded Jasprit Bumrah for bowling a potent spell in India's World Cup 2023 win against Afghanistan in Delhi on Wednesday, October 11.

Bumrah registered figures of 4/39 in 10 overs as the Men in Blue restricted Hashmatullah Shahidi and company to 272/8 on a placid surface. Rohit Sharma then smoked 131 runs off 84 deliveries as the hosts registered an eight-wicket win with 15 overs to spare.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Bumrah should have been awarded the Player of the Match instead of Rohit. He reasoned (3:15):

"He (Bumrah) should have been the Player of the Match in my opinion for the simple reason that he picked up four wickets on a road-like pitch where bowlers say they don't want to play and ask someone else to be given the ball."

The former Indian opener pointed out that the unconventional seamer struck blows at crucial stages of the game.

"He picked up wickets with the new ball, middle overs and at the death - he delivers consistently," Chopra elaborated. "The opposing team batted well, whether it was Azmatullah Omarzai or Hashmatullah Shahidi, and little batting from Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz at the start, but he picked up wickets at regular intervals."

Jasprit Bumrah gave India their first breakthrough by having Ibrahim Zadran caught by KL Rahul behind the wickets. He later dismissed Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid Khan to restrict Afghanistan to a below-par score.

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"There is no doubt that Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the world at the moment" - Aakash Chopra

Jasprit Bumrah outbowled Mohammed Siraj in Wednesday's game. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra placed Jasprit Bumrah on a high pedestal, saying (3:50):

"He picked up four wickets and hardly gave any runs in his 10 overs. A pitch and ground on which Mohammed Siraj got hit for 76 runs in his nine overs, he picked up four wickets and conceded 35-odd runs. In my opinion, there is no doubt that Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the world at the moment."

The cricketer-turned-commentator also praised Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav for bowling impressive spells. He stated:

"Hardik Pandya's wickets were very, very important. Kuldeep Yadav remained economical in the end although Omarzai played him well. The pitch was absolutely flat and Afghanistan scored 272 in that, which was never going to be enough."

Pandya registered figures of 2/43 in seven overs, picking up the crucial wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Azmatullah Omarzai. Kuldeep picked up a solitary wicket but conceded only 40 runs in his 10-over spell.