Former Indian batter and renowned commentator Aakash Chopra has voiced his disappointment over Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar doesn't receive the same acknowledgement as Rajasthan Royals (RR) spearhead Trent Boult for his domination with the new ball.
His remarks followed Bhuvneshwar's pivotal contribution to SRH's exhilarating one-run victory over the Royal in the 50th match of the ongoing IPL 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on May 2.
SRH set a daunting target of 202 runs for Rajasthan, courtesy of Nitish Kumar Reddy's (76*) and Travis Head’s (58*) vital innings in Hyderabad. In defending the target,
Bhuvneshwar played a crucial role with the ball, demonstrating his bowling experience with figures of 3/41 in his four overs.
The Indian seamer had a notable impact right from the outset of the match by taking two crucial wickets in the first over, earning praise from Chopra for his early breakthroughs.
Bhuvneshwar dismissed Jos Buttler with a perfectly executed outswinger, resulting in a golden duck.
In the same over, he delivered an in-swinging delivery that shattered the stumps of RR skipper Sanju Samson.
“201 was a very decent total and then Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Buttler in the first over and Sanju Samson right after that - two incredible deliveries. He now has 27 wickets in the first over of the powerplay - no one has taken more than him," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
"However, somehow, he is underrated. People talk about Trent Boult but no one talks about Bhuvi. Ok, let me say this - Death, taxes and Bhuvneshwar Kumar taking a wicket in the first over is permanent. He showed that by doing it," he added.
He also dismissed another dangerous batter, Rovman Pavell (27 runs off 15 balls), to help SRH restrict the table-topping RR to 200/7 to win the IPL 2024 clash by one run in Hyderabad.
Earlier, Bhuvneshwar won the Player of the Match award for his match-winning figures against RR. After the match, the senior seamer revealed that his mind was blank while bowling the last over.
“I told everyone process is a very important thing. I was virtually thoughtless; I was not thinking about the result. I was just trying to do what I can do. knew if I could bowl just two good balls, and if it went to the last ball, I knew anything could happen. It was a full toss, I know, and he missed it," he told the broadcasters.
- Trent Boult
