Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra reckons Gujarat Titans’ batting could be their Achilles Heel in the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Gujarat Titans, which will be led by Hardik Pandya, will make their debut in the lucrative IPL.
Titans don’t have a lot of experience in their batting and it could lead to their downfall in the upcoming season. The new franchise will have their work cut out in the upcoming season and it will be interesting to note how they will handle the pressure.
The renowned commentator feels Shubman Gill is a good choice as an opener and he feels Matthew Wade will open the innings after Jason Roy decided to pull out of the tournament.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “There is a problem with the batting. Shubman Gill as opener is fine. Gill’s best is yet to come and I think it will be for Gujarat Titans. I think with Jason Roy gone they will open with Matthew Wade. They have picked Rahmanullah Gurbaz, but I think they will go with Wade.”
Chopra feels the number three is also going to be a problem for Gujarat Titans as either Vijay Shankar or Wriddhiman Saha could bat at one down.
“No.3 is also a problem. They can play Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, but I can’t see any other option. I think they will go with Shankar. Hardik Pandya must bat at No.4. If he doesn’t bat there, it would be a big mistake.”
David Miller is expected to bat at number five but it has been a while since the Proteas batter has had a good season in the IPL.
“As good a player as he is, Wade has not done well in India. Pandya is coming back from an injury and his batting has not been good in recent times. David Miller has found some form recently but it was five years ago that he had a good season. There is hope that they will do well, but if they don’t it won’t be a surprise.”
On the other hand, former KKR batter feels Gujarat Titans have a better bowling attack in the tournament. Gujarat Titans have bowlers like Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Jayant Yadav, and Varun Aaron to name a few.
“Mohammed Shami could be expensive and may not be counted among gun T20 bowlers, but he is a good bowler nonetheless. In Yash Dayal, they have a have a good left-arm fast bowler. He moves the ball around and has pace as well.”
“They have Alzarri Joseph, Dominic Drakes, Pradeep Sangwan and Varun Aaron too. There is Rashid Khan, of course, and Sai Kishore and Jayant Yadav. They have plenty of bowling options and might be one of the better bowling units in the tournament.”
Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL campaign against Lucknow Super Giants at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 28th March.
