Aakash Chopra, a former player for India, praised Shashank Singh for his well-timed innings during the Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) IPL 2025 victory over the Gujarat Titans (GT). For taking Rashid Khan to the cleaners, he was especially grateful to the uncapped Indian batter.
In Tuesday, March 25, the two teams’ IPL 2025 opener in Ahmedabad, PBKS set GT a huge 244-run mark with an undefeated 44 off 16 deliveries from Shashank. The visiting team then won by 11 runs after limiting Shubman Gill and company to 232/5.
The cricketer-turned-commentator, in a video posted on his YouTube account ‘Aakash Chopra,’ remarked that two Indian batters who had not yet been capped gave outstanding performances for PBKS in their IPL 2025 match against GT. In reference to Shashank, he stated:
“Shashank Singh, the way he batted. The thing that gets highlighted about him is that he has cricketing smarts. He knows which fielder is standing where and where the bowling will be, and he hits fours according to that. He knew they would bowl short balls against him, so he played the ramp. When they bowled a yorker, he dug it out and hit a four towards cover.”
Aakash Chopra
“Another thing that got highlighted, which has been happening since last year, was that he took Rashid Khan down. He pulled him when he bowled short, hit him straight when he bowled full and straight, and hit a four towards cover when Rashid Khan went slightly wide.”
Aakash Chopra
In his undefeated 44, Shashank Singh hit two sixes and six fours. He faced Rashid Khan for five balls, and he hit both maximums and a boundary off those balls.
Aakash Chopra Applauds Priyansh Arya’s Brave Knock in PBKS’ Victory Over GT
Aakash Chopra commended Priyansh Arya in the same video for helping the Punjab Kings get off to a strong start against the Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2025 match.
“Priyansh Arya bats left-handed and has come after hitting six sixes in an over in the Delhi Premier League. He has got wonderful hands. He stays inside the line of the ball and accesses the off side extremely well. He plays with courage. Arshad Khan dropped a catch, which was probably a slightly game-changing kind of thing.”
Aakash Chopra
The Delhi youngster’s handling of GT’s seasoned seam-bowling trio of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Kagiso Rabada was commended by the former India opener.
“However, he kept hitting fours, and I thought he would score a fifty on debut, but he got trapped against Rashid Khan. He plays very well on the off side, but he hit a straight drive. If someone can hit a straight four like that, he has got the quality. If you can play well against Siraj, Prasidh and Rabada, you have got the quality.”
Aakash Chopra
During his 47-run innings, Priyansh Arya hit two sixes and seven fours. After Prabhsimran Singh was out for an eight-ball five, he and Shreyas Iyer added 51 runs for the second wicket (97* off 42) in just 3.3 overs.
