RCB vs GT Result: Faf du Plessis’ management of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowlers during their IPL 2022 loss to the Gujarat Titans has been called into doubt by Aakash Chopra.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) won the match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday afternoon (April 30) with a score of 170/6. But their bowlers were unable to hold on to the target. The Titans were able to win the match by six wickets with three deliveries to spare.
What Chopra said:
During a video reflection on the Gujarat Titans’ chase that was posted on his YouTube account, Aakash Chopra said that he was taken aback by Du Plessis’ decision to begin bowling with Glenn Maxwell. He came up with the following justification:
“When the Gujarat Titans came to bat, I was perplexed by the leadership. Why are you opting to bowl Maxwell at the start? Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill both have no problems against spin.”
The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player was also critical of the choice to use Shahbaz Ahmed as a powerplay bowler during the match against Gujarat. Chopra went on to explain:
“A large number of bowlers were utilized out of order. Shahbaz also bowled, which prompted me to ask, ‘What are you doing?’ Josh Hazlewood and Mohammed Siraj are present. Ask them to bowl, and they will take up wickets for you, or so it seemed to me at the time.”
Having bowled one over each for Mohammed Siraj and Josh Hazlewood in the first three overs of the GT innings, Ahmed was brought into the attack in the fourth over. Du Plessis may have hoped to get rid of a few overs from the fifth bowler’s quota before the Titans’ squad of big-hitters came to the crease to take the field.
RCB vs GT Result: “Gujarat Titans were staring down the barrel” said Aakash Chopra about the match
Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Titans seemed to be in trouble when they were reduced to a score of 95/4 in the 13th over. He went on to say:
“Initially, there was a partnership. But it was later terminated. Hardik Pandya got ejected from the game early. Wriddhiman Saha and Sai Sudharsan were dismissed by Shahbaz Ahmed. While Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman were sent to the pavilion by Wanindu Hasaranga. The Gujarat Titans were now staring down the barrel.”
Finally, the well-known pundit expressed his appreciation for Rahul Tewatia’s ability to switch on the magic once again while in the company of David Miller. Chopra made the following observation:
“Rahul Tewatia appears on the scene. He was a member of the Indian team. But he did not have an opportunity to play. He is playing for Rajasthan. When he went to the auction, a lot of clubs made bids on him. But the issue was always whether or not he had what it took to be a successful player. Rahul has completed another Tewatia performance. He has been just spectacular.”
For the fifth wicket, Tewatia (43 off 25 balls) and Miller (39 off 24 balls) put up an unbroken 79-run stand. This was enough to help the Gujarat Titans over the finish line. With this victory, Hardik Pandya’s team maintained their grip on first place in the IPL 2022 points standings. They are almost certain of a berth in the playoffs.
