"He will force the selectors to think about him for the T20 World Cup" - Aakash Chopra lauds Mayank Yadav's spell in LSG's IPL 2024 win vs RCB

Aakash Chopra reckons Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) speedster Mayank Yadav's performances in IPL 2024 might force the selectors to consider him for the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup later this year.

LSG set the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) a 182-run target after being asked to bat first in Bengaluru on Tuesday, April 2. Yadav then registered figures of 3/14 in four overs as the home team were bundled out for 153 and lost the game by 28 runs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Yadav as one of the standout performers in the LSG-RCB clash.

"Mayank Yadav's pace once again arrested and demolished the opposing team. 155.8 kph in the last match and 156.7 now. I feel he will run very fast in the Purple Cap race. Secondly, although he might not be selected, he will force the selectors to think about him for the T20 World Cup," he said (0:01).

"Three wickets on this ground. He hardly gave any runs in his four overs. He made it a 16-over game. He has already bowled one of the five fastest balls in the history of this tournament. He first dismissed Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) and the ball he dismissed Cameron Green with, that is the ball of the tournament," the former India opener added (20:00).

Chopra praised KL Rahul for holding Yadav back after he had dismissed Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, noting that the right-arm seamer virtually finished the game by dismissing Rajat Patidar in his second spell. He credited the youngster's outstanding accuracy, apart from his pace, for his success.

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"He batted extremely well" - Aakash Chopra on LSG's Quinton de Kock

Quinton de Kock scored 81 runs off 56 deliveries. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on LSG's innings, Aakash Chopra picked Quinton de Kock as the first star performer of the day.

"My first performer of the day is Quinton de Kock. He was also with RCB. He batted extremely well, started with three fours in the first over. Then he hit two sixes when Mohammed Siraj bowled on his legs," he stated (17:25).

"Then there was a plan to bowl to him outside the off-stump and force him to play shots in a different direction but there also he didn't play a bad shot. You can say that he played a little slow, but in the context of the game, because you have to judge it based on the match's result, very important runs," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

While opining that Nicholas Pooran should bat up the order, Chopra praised the LSG vice-captain for ensuring his side set a challenging target for RCB.

"The second one was Nicholas Pooran. He is an incredible player. He is in red-hot form and it is the deepest shade of red, so to give him 20-odd balls is just not right. He should come to bat slightly up the order. He hit a 106-meter six. He was hitting flat sixes. The team reached 181 because of his innings," he observed.

Pooran smashed an unbeaten 40 off 21 deliveries. He hit just a solitary four but clubbed five sixes during his enterprising knock.