Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s newly appointed captain Rajat Patidar missed a trick while making bowling changes in the opening game against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
RCB registered a seven-wicket win to kick off their campaign on a high against the reigning champions. Meanwhile, after Patidar won the toss and decided to field first, RCB was able to restrict KKR to 9-1, with Josh Hazlewood dismissing Quinton de Kock.
But Patidar gave the fourth and fifth over to Rasikh Salam and Krunal Pandya and those two overs went for 31 runs.
“RCB started very well and then suddenly they started getting hit and it continued. We had discussed yesterday morning as well as to how Rajat Patidar would captain. I thought he missed a trick there. Three good overs had been bowled and he brought Rasikh Salam for the fourth over,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“I thought Yash Dayal could have been given one more over. He brought Krunal Pandya to bowl the fifth over, and I am thinking – ‘Don’t do that, what are you doing, my brother?’ Ajinkya Rahane started hitting there and then kept hitting,” he added.
On the other hand, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane scored an impressive knock of 56 runs and Chopra said this innings will give him a lot of confidence while leading the franchise in the coming matches.
“100 runs were scored in the first 10 overs. 200 should have been scored from there. Rahane was absolutely outstanding. Scoring runs was important from Rahane’s point of view because once you do that, you start commanding respect. You are not a novice but you have come into a new camp,” Chopra observed.
Meanwhile, there were doubts raised on RCB’s spin attack but Krunal Pandya returned with splendid figures of 3-29 in his quota of four overs. Pandya accounted for Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Ajinkya Rahane in his fine spell.
“Things changed after that and there it seemed the match would go in some other direction because Krunal Pandya picked up three wickets. We have been asking whether RCB’s spin bowling is their weakest link. However, if your weakest link becomes your strongest link, you say they did a great job. The two spinners together pick up four wickets,” he said.
Chopra noted that Suyash Sharma was expensive (47 runs in his four overs) but the leg-spinner got the big wicket of Andre Russel with a goggly.
“Krunal Pandya picked up three wickets despite his first over being expensive. He was good. He was bowling within the stumps, and it seemed like the ball was getting stuck a little. I still feel Suyash was very expensive and bowling a lot of loose deliveries but he got the dangerous Andre Russell out,” Chopra elaborated.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will next take on Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Friday.
