Former India opener Aakash Chopra has suggested a couple of changes in XI for table-toppers Gujarat Titans for the upcoming clash against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday. Gujarat have impressed many with their quality performances in the debut season but Chopra feels that there are some concerns in their batting department as the team is relying heavily on Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya to score big runs.
Gujarat opener Matthew Wade and number 3 Vijay Shankar have been a major flop for them so far this season. The duo’s performance has been miserable with the bat as their failures put pressure on Gill and Pandya to take the responsibility in every match.
Chopra suggested that the Pandya-led franchise should include Rahmanullah Gurbaz or Wriddhiman Saha at the top and drop Shankar for Sai Sudarshan.
“There is some concern with regards to Gujarat’s batting. Shubman Gill will have to score runs because Matthew Wade is not scoring at all. It’s been five matches, so the time has come to try Rahmanullah Gurbaz or Wriddhiman Saha. Sai Sudarshan would be a better option than Vijay Shankar at 3. Abhinav Manohar has done a good job with the bat,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
The former India opener further said that skipper Pandya might fail in some games and Gujarat have to be ready for this as other batters have not been consisten with their performance this season.
“Hardik Pandya has batted really well, but he will also get out early at some stage. It is not like he’s going to come in and score big runs every time. So while there are no concerns in the bowling, batting is a problem. David Miller did well in one game but he has not been that consistent. Rahul Tewatia is batting too low and hence opportunities are limited for him,” he added.
