Former Indian cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra expressed his surprise and criticism over the decision of the Delhi Capitals (DC) to bat first after winning the toss in the 47th match of the ongoing IPL 2024 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on April 29.
Chopra questioned the logic behind Delhi Capitals’ (DC) decision while highlighting the historical trend at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The former India batsman pointed out that in the last 30 matches played at the venue, teams that won the toss and opted to bat first suffered defeat every time except twice.
The cricket expert, however, admitted that there was no guarantee of victory in the Kolkata chase but reiterated that the decision to bat first at Eden Gardens was a very one due to the apparent advantage of batting later on the same pitch was a rare and surprising decision. He feels that DC lost the game against KKR because they chose to bat first in Kolkata.
Aakash Chopra blames Sourav Ganguly for DC’s heavy defeat against KKR
Chopra also questioned how DC team director Sourav Ganguly could have misread the pitch and allowed captain Rishabh Pant to bat boldly first in the IPL 2024 clash with KKR despite Eden Gardens being the former Indian captain’s home ground and he knows the playing field very well.
He indirectly blamed Ganguly for DC’s massive defeat against KKR as the Prince of Calcutta is very familiar with the pitch and understands the behavior of the pitch better than others, so he should have seen the advantage of the chase against KKR.
Akash Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “Who bats first after winning the toss? I’m not being too critical, but I have to talk about it if it’s the truth. The team that won the toss has finished first only twice in the last 30 games here, and whoever did that lost. It’s not like you always win when you’re chasing, but in Calcutta no one bats first.”
Whatever happens, batting will get a little easier later but Delhi said they would bat first. I was surprised. If Sourav Ganguly couldn’t read that pitch, who could? This playing field is like the back of his palm. You know everything, so it wasn’t understandable.”
Aakash Chopra slams Rishabh Pant’s batting approach against KKR
Meanwhile, Chopra expressed shock over DC captain Rishabh cPant’s batting approach against KKR in Kolkata. With four wickets falling in quick succession, there was an expectation that Pant along with Axar Patel would stabilize the innings for DC. However, Chopra was taken aback by Pant’s unorthodox approach, even though he should have gotten the team out of harm’s way.
The commentator also criticized Pant for seemingly trying different shots with every delivery without maintaining a consistent strategy. Chopra also noted that Pant repeatedly attempted the same shot, which ultimately proved ineffective and contributed to the DC’s woes against KKR.
However, despite the loss, DC remain in the race for the IPL 2024 playoffs and are at the sixth position in the table with 10 points from the 11 games they have played in the lucrative league so far.