Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra praised Suryakumar Yadav’s captaincy after India claimed a five-wicket win against the West Indies in the Super 8 clash of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday. 

Chopra lauded SKY for utilizing his bowling resources with guile after the Indian captain decided to field first. The renowned commentator said Yadav was brilliant in rotating his bowlers and bowled gun fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, at the right time.

Bumrah accounted for Shimron Hetmyer and bamboozled Roston Chase with a slower delivery in the 12th over, and Chopra reckons it was a game-changing over.

“The brain behind the bowling was on display. I think, from Suryakumar Yadav, this was his best display of captaincy. I have never seen him utilize the bowlers better than this. There is no scope for doing better than this. It was near-perfect captaincy in terms of how he distributed the bowling resources. He was absolutely brilliant,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.

“The way the five bowlers were used, I feel like saying thumbs up with both hands. This was planning to perfection. When do you get Bumrah’s best? You get his best when you bowl him one over in the powerplay, one in the middle overs, and two later. He did that job. There was an over where he picked up two wickets. That was the game-changing over,” he added.

Chopra praised SKY for not bowling Arshdeep Singh for two straight overs in the death after he bowled an expensive 16th over.

“Even Arshdeep. He was bowled two overs at the start. Then he was bowled the 16th and 19th overs. The 16th over was expensive, so he was given a two-over break. He said, ‘I won’t give you two successive overs because you are brilliant, but you are not Bumrah.’ Bumrah bowls two successive overs in the end, but Arshdeep might not be able to do that,” he elaborated.

Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya was given one over in the Powerplay and then he was given the seventh over by SKY.

“Hardik Pandya, we will bowl you the first over in the powerplay, then the weakest over, which is the seventh, after that, we will bowl you one more over, and finish your four overs by the 15th over. This is what we had spoken about,” Chopra said.

Axar Patel was the most economical bowler as he conceded 35 runs in the four overs he bowled. Chopra said SKY did the right thing by giving three overs to Patel when right-handers were at the crease.

“Axar Patel was brought in early. Axar Patel was the only bowler who was given three consecutive overs because he had an idea that two right-handers were playing and he should be bowled continuously as left-handers in Shimron Heymyer and Sherfane Rutherford would come later, and we can’t risk it that we bowl an over from Shivam Dube – beautifully done,” Chopra elaborated.

India will take on England in the second semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Thursday.