The square is playing differently, and therefore, you need different players: Aakash Chopra on SRH after their fourth defeat on the trot

ANI April 7, 2025 190 views

Aakash Chopra has highlighted critical strategic flaws in Sunrisers Hyderabad's current IPL campaign. The cricket expert points out that the team's player selection doesn't match the evolving pitch conditions, particularly in spin-friendly surfaces. SRH's inability to adapt their lineup and bench experienced spinners like Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa has contributed to their fourth consecutive defeat. The team's performance suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of current match dynamics and required tactical adjustments.

"The square is playing differently, and therefore, you need different players with different skill sets" - Aakash Chopra
New Delhi April 7: Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra believes that Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lack a proper drafter in their side, which has become a problem due to the changing nature of the pitch in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL).

Key Points

1

SRH struggling with pitch conditions and lack of strategic drafting

2

Team fails to leverage experienced spin bowlers

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Fourth consecutive defeat highlights tactical limitations

While speaking on Jio Hostar, he pointed out that the pitch, which previously produced high scores, now offers a much lower scoring rate, making it crucial to have players with specific skill sets, including strong spin bowling.

"They don't really have a drafter on their side because they probably thought they don't need drafters anymore. But suddenly, this pitch -- which produced a 280-plus score just a couple of weeks ago -- now offers 150, and we're discussing them being just 10-15 runs shy. So, 160 could've been enough if there was no dew and they had a better spin bowling attack. This pitch has changed. The square is playing differently, and therefore, you need different players with different skill sets," Jio Star expert Aakash Chopra said while speaking exclusively on Kuhl Fans Match Centre Live on JioHotstar.

Chopra also says that the Gujarat Titans' batting strength is better suited to faster pitches and that their current batting lineup is not ideal for the current pitch conditions. He questioned the team's decision to bench experienced spinners like Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa, who are capable of performing well on spin-friendly surfaces.

"You make this team bat on a cemented surface, and they'll be head and shoulders above the rest. But on this kind of surface, their accumulated batting isn't likely to succeed. I don't understand why Rahul Chahar is warming the bench. They're playing with one proper spinner -- Zeeshan Ansari, an uncapped Indian player. Rahul Chahar is an India-capped player. Adam Zampa, an international-quality leg spinner, is also available, but they're not playing either of them. That is slightly baffling," he added.

Sensational ball striking by skipper Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, and Sherfane Rutherford and Mohammed Siraj's magnificent four-wicket haul were the highlights as GT crushed a reckless SRH at their own den by seven wickets on Sunday.

This is SRH's fourth defeat on the trot. They have been struggling to score big runs in batting after their initial match against the Rajasthan Royals, where they posted 286/6, with Ishan Kishan scoring a century in his debut match for SRH. Since then, no SRH batter has got runs under their belt.

Reader Comments

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Rahul K.
Aakash makes some solid points here. SRH's team selection has been questionable this season. Why bench experienced spinners when the pitch is clearly favoring them? 🤔 #IPL2024
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Priya M.
That 286 against RR seems like ages ago now! SRH batting has completely collapsed since then. Need to find some consistency soon or this season will be over before they know it.
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Arjun S.
While I respect Chopra's analysis, I think he's being too harsh on SRH. The pitch conditions changed unexpectedly - not entirely the team's fault. They'll bounce back! 💪
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Neha P.
The real issue is SRH's middle order. Too many flashy players but no one to stabilize when the pitch is tough. They need a proper anchor like Williamson was for them in previous seasons.
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Sanjay T.
Interesting how pitch dynamics can completely change team fortunes in IPL. From 280+ to struggling at 150 - shows how important adaptability is in T20 cricket! 🏏
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Meena R.
Respectful criticism: SRH management needs to take some blame here. Sticking with the same losing combination for 4 matches shows lack of flexibility. Time for some bold changes!

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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