Former India opener Aakash Chopra criticized Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) captain KL Rahul for his batting approach during their recent game against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). Aakash Chopra stressed that KL Rahul always refrains from adopting an aggressive batting approach.
KL Rahul chose to bat first after winning the toss at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Wednesday, May 8. However, his decision backfired as Lucknow lost the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Marcus Stoini within five overs. They finished the powerplay with just 27 runs for two wickets.
KL Rahul managed to score 29 runs off 33 deliveries before he was dismissed by SRH captain Pat Cummins. Middle-order batters Ayush Badoni and Nicholas Pooran posted an unbeaten 99-run stand for the fifth wicket. The visiting team posted a below-par total of 165/4 in their allotted 20 overs.
The car didn’t move at either end – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra explained that Lucknow Super Giants were struggling to pick up pace after the dismissals of Quinton de Kock and Marcus Stoinis. Chopra pointed out the failure of KL Rahul and Krunal Pandya to provide momentum.
“There couldn’t have been a slower local than this because they only scored 27 runs in the first six overs. First Quinton de Kock and then Marcus Stoinis were eliminated. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also picked up two wickets this time. It wasn’t the car.” “Basically it was a traffic jam.” Chopra said.
“Krunal Pandya came to bat and scored 24 runs off 21 balls. KL Rahul scored 29 runs off 33 balls. He always stops himself. He hit a six before the wickets off the bowling of Pat Cummins but after that the car wasn’t there. “He didn’t move at all, and when he tried to strike, he got stuck in the depths. So nothing happened there either.” he added.
After the dismissals of De Kock and Stoinis, KL Rahul and Krunal Pandya (24 off 21) took 5.4 overs to add 36 runs, slowing down the innings. The Super Giants were struggling at 66/4 in 11.2 overs. However, Badoni and Pooran helped the team cross the 150-run mark in the last game.
A bit unacceptable these days – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra stated that the Super Giants were virtually eliminated from the game due to their slow batting in the first few overs. The cricketer-turned-commentator mentioned that scoring just 27 runs in the first six overs was inadequate, especially given the strong SRH batting line-up.
“You can’t score 27 runs in six overs. You can’t finish the game with that because firstly you have a team with such a strong batting line-up in front of you and secondly, 27 runs in six overs is a bit unacceptable these days.” “After that, only 57 runs were scored in the first 10 overs and three wickets were lost .” Chopra further explained.
The KL Rahul-led team failed to defend the total as SRH openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma scored 167 runs in 19.4 overs. LSG took a massive hit in net run rate after the massive loss. They are currently sixth in the table with 12 points in as many games.
The Lucknow-based team will face Delhi Capitals (DC) in their next match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Tuesday, May 14. They must win the remaining two games to be in contention for a playoff spot.
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