Aakash Chopra, former India opener, picked top six uncapped players of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on his YouTube channel.
IPL has always been a big stage for young cricketers to showcase their talent and make it through to the next level.
The cricketer-turned analyst named Delhi Capitals (DC) seamer Avesh Khan as the most impressive uncapped Indian player of the IPL 2021. The DC pacer has managed to scalp 14 wickets in the eight matches he played this season.
“The first name I have written is Avesh Khan. He has impressed a lot this year because Nortje was not there and even Rabada was not there in the beginning. He bowled consistently well right from the first match where he struck Faf on the pads and MS Dhoni’s stumps.”
The second name on his list was of Harshal Patel, who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The right-armer impressed everyone with his skills and wicket-taking ability.
“At No.2, I have kept Harshal Patel. He has taken the most wickets. He has worked on his slower ones, he has the loopy slower ones similar to Bumrah. He is bowling good yorkers, the pace has also increased slightly and bowled very accurately, just forget those 37 and 22-run overs.”
RCB opener Devvdutt Padikkal is another pick of Chopra. Padikkal scored 195 runs in six matches which included an unbeaten 101 off 52 deliveries.
“At No.3, I have again kept Devdutt Padikkal. He played just the one destructive huge knock but it was fantastic. You can see a different quality in this player. How many uncapped Indian players can say that they have scored a century? It is very very difficult but he has done that.”
The young Harpreet Brar, who plays for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) is the next preference for the former cricketer. The 25-year-old impressed the fans in the first match he played against the RCB. He dismissed Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers in his brilliant spell.
“At No.4, Harpreet Brar. We all appreciated his bowling. If you take three wickets in a spell – Kohli, Maxwell and AB, and the next day when he came he hit Prithvi Shaw’s stumps. I liked his batting a lot. He hit a few shots which showed he has the ability to play the big shots down the order.”
Chopra’s next choice was the aspiring leg-spinner from PBKS, Ravi Bishnoi.
“At No.5, I should go with Ravi Bishnoi. He took a couple of Superman catches. When he bowled, he had the wet ball on a couple of occasions. He didn’t play all the matches, wasn’t magical but was impressive.”
Rajasthan Royals’ surprise package, Chetan Sakariya, the left-arm pacer, was the last name on the list. The young seamer finished with 3 for 31 in four overs in his first match. Chopra heaped praises on Sakariya for his top-quality bowling with some smart variations.
“At No.6, the player’s name is Chetan Sakaria. He took all of us by surprise. He is the real deal. How impressive he has been, he can make the ball go out and come in. He has both the back of the hand and normal slower one. If you talk about temperament and technique, there is a lot to like about him.”
