‘He left no stone unturned, this was his next best after 2016’ – Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli’s IPL 2023 performance

Virat Kohli and Aakash Chopra. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI and Twitter)

Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli could not have done more to help his team reach the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs. Notably, RCB were eliminated from IPL 2023 after a crushing defeat against the defending champions Gujarat Titans in their final league-stage match. 

Individually, Kohli had an outstanding season this year as the former RCB skipper amassed 639 runs in 14 games, including six half-centuries and two back-to-back centuries in must-win games. He was, however, criticized for his strike rate on a few ocassions this season.

Meanwhile, Chopra said that Kohli’s performances this season cannot be questioned as he got eight 50-plus scores, including two centuries. He went on to say that 2023 is Kohli’s finest season since 2016, adding that the batter left no stone unturned to make his team qualify.

“Virat Kohli scored 8 fifty-plus scores with two centuries in it and had his next best season after 2016. Some people will still criticize him but I feel Kohli did everything he could to help RCB win. He left no stone unturned, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

Faf du Plessis had an absolutely stellar season: Akash Chopra

The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) batter also praised RCB skipper Faf du Plessis, stating he had an exceptional season. The 45-year-old noted that su Plessis did everything in his ability to help his team win the title. Notably, the Proteas batter currently tops the IPL 2023 Orange Cap list, with 730 runs in 14 innings at an average of 56.15 and a strike rate of 153.68. 

“Faf du Plessis had an absolutely stellar season. 730 runs and eight fifties, and the other six scores were also not low scores. He did whatever he could in his capacity to try and help his team win the title. But it just didn’t happen,” the former cricketer added.