Aakash Chopra has lauded Mumbai Indians (MI) all-rounder Cameron Green for once again proving his worth up the order in the IPL 2023 Eliminator against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Green smashed a 23-ball 41 as Rohit Sharma and Co. set a 183-run target for LSG in Chennai on Wednesday, May 24. Akash Madhwal (5/5) then shone with the ball as the five-time champions registered a comprehensive 81-run win and booked their spot in Qualifier 2 against the Gujarat Titans.
While reflecting on the Mumbai Indians' batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra praised Green for repaying the franchise for batting him at No. 3, elaborating:
"Cameron Green scored runs. Another story is that if you play him at No. 3 regularly, he will give you runs. You yourself halved his stature when you moved him down the order. It is not enjoyable when you send him down the order."
The reputed commentator also lauded Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav and Nehal Wadhera for making crucial contributions with the bat, stating:
"After that, Tilak Varma was fit and came to bat. He batted extremely well. He is a shining star. Suryakumar Yadav batted for a short while, but he also batted well. So both of them batted well and then Nehal Wadhera came in the end and did a great job."
While Yadav smashed a 20-ball 33, Verma scored a slightly more sedate 26 runs off 22 balls. Wadhera, who came in as the Impact Player, smoked 23 runs off 12 balls to give the final impetus to the Mumbai Indians' innings.
"The real team is prepared through scouts" - Aakash Chopra on lesser-known players excelling for the Mumbai Indians
While acknowledging that the Mumbai Indians have a few big-ticket players, Aakash Chopra pointed out that their scouting makes them a formidable unit, explaining:
"Whether it is Wadhera, Tilak Varma or Akash Madhwal, this team has shown that they pick big players by spending huge sums - Ishan Kishan at 15.25 crores, Rohit Sharma at 16 crores and Cameron Green at 17.5 crores - but the real team is prepared through scouts."
The reputed commentator added:
"You will have to praise Mumbai, they do very good scouting. They manage to find players and bring them in. Pick players with less money and then make a team - that's what Mumbai is all about."
MI were hit hard in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League due to the injury-related absence and partial availability of Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer respectively. However, their youngsters have raised their game and played significant roles to keep them in contention for a record-extending sixth IPL title.
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