Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra slammed Chennai Super Kings after they suffered an eight-wicket loss against Gujarat Titans at the M. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday. After they were put into bat by Shubman Gill, CSK could only manage 158-7 in their 20 overs.
While Chopra acknowledged that CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad got back amongst the runs, he questioned other CSK batters for their mundane show. Gaikwad trudged to 74 runs off 60 balls, but none of the other CSK batters could breach the 25-run mark.
“The way Chennai Super Kings played that game baffles you a little. Rutu scored runs, but what were the others doing? Chennai lost the toss and came to bat first. Wickets fell one after the other. Sanju Samson, Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, and Dewald Brevis got out. Four players had gotten out, and hardly any runs were scored in the first 12 overs,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra highlighted that CSK batters played a total of 50 dot balls in the first 12 overs, which put them under the cosh.
“In fact, they had played 50 dot balls till the 12th over, which means in 72 legitimate balls, 50 were dot balls. Ruturaj’s strike rate was 50 till he was hit by the ball. He started hitting after being hit by the ball. He kept the strike with himself in the last over and hit fours. He was good, but the runs weren’t enough,” he elaborated.
The renowned commentator noted that the five-time champions have been over-reliant on Sanju Samson’s shoulders.
“Chennai has a problem. There is an overreliance on Sanju Samson. Dewald Brevis has shown a few sparks thus far, and Shivam Dube hasn’t really set the world alight. Then Sarfaraz, Urvil, or Kartik Sharma won’t be able to do the job alone,” Chopra observed.
Chopra praised GT opener Sai Sudharsan for scoring a fine knock of 87 runs off 46 balls in the run chase of 159.
“The runs on the board were less, and Sai Sudharsan did what he always does. He scored a century in the last match and reached close to a hundred here as well. He got out in the end while trying to win the match, or else he was batting very well,” he said.
Chennai Super Kings will next take on Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk Stadium on Saturday.
