'Ajinkya Rahane out-of-syllabus question' - Aakash Chopra lauds Ajinkya Rahane's blitzkrieg against MI in IPL 2023 clash

Former India opener Aakash Chopra lauded Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Ajinkya Rahane for his blistering knock against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the ongoing Indian Premier League. (IPL). CSK restricted MI to 157/8 after inviting them to bat first on Saturday, April 8, at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. During the chase, Rahane played a blistering knock (61 off 27 balls) to propel the visitors to win by seven wickets with 11 deliveries to spare.

In the same vein, the former India cricketer-turned-commentator praised Rahane for demonstrating that age was no barrier to success in the shortest format. He stated that the CSK batter understands every part of that ground and he came and batted in a very technically correct style.

"Devon Conway got out at the start but after that one-sided. Ajinkya Rahane - out-of-syllabus question. He knows every nook and corner of this ground. He came and hit, and that too in a very technically correct fashion. He said that it might be a 20-over match but 30-plus also do well in that," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel while reviewing the clash.

I thought Ruturaj Gaikwad played very well: Chopra

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player also praised opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for his composed performance. Following Devon Conway's early dismissal, Gaikwad (40*) and Rahane stitched together an 82-run partnership in seven overs for the second wicket. Thereafter, Shivam Dube (28) and Ambati Rayudu (20*) built crucial partnerships with Gaikwad to guide CSK to victory.

"I thought Ruturaj Gaikwad played very well. There is ego at times. When you are in such good form, you try to match your partner shot for shot. But he said that the big picture was to make his team win and that he would remain unbeaten till the end for that even if he doesn't have a fifty to his name," added Chopra. 

Chopra also praised star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who took three wickets and grabbed an incredible catch off his own bowling. The 45-year-old chose Jadeja over Rahane as the match's top performer. Jadeja dismissed Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, and Tilak Varma to rattle the MI batting lineup and eventually emerged as Player of the Match.