Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra slammed the batting unit of Lucknow Super Giants after the team endured a heartbreaking defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals on Tuesday, May 14. It was a must-win fixture for LSG to keep their playoff hope alive. The KL Rahul-led side, however, failed miserably in the away game due to a dismal performance from the batters. After LSG fell 19 runs short of a 209-run target, Chopra criticised their top order while discussing the match on his YouTube channel. The cricketer-turned-pundit especially highlighted the performance of Quinton de Kock and KL Rahul.
The duo failed to put up an opening partnership, which could have built the foundation for a successful chase. Rahul managed to score a single boundary before falling victim to Ishant Sharma in the very first over. De Kock, on the other hand, had scored 12 runs off eight balls before Sharma trapped him for a catch with a slower delivery.
The collapse at the top of the order certainly made the job difficult for the upcoming LSG batters. Marcus Stoinis and Deepak Hooda came in next and none of them could survive the powerplay. Stoinis contributed five runs to the scoresheet while Hooda returned with a duck.
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Referring to the early fall of wickets, Aakash Chopra said, “When Lucknow came to bat, what batting are you doing? Quinton de Kock’s bat is not striking the ball and KL Rahul got out for five. After that, (Marcus) Stoinis came and he was left stranded in the middle. Deepak Hooda got out for zero. What are you doing?”
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The ex-Indian opener, however, was all praises for Nicholas Pooran, who was the top-performing batter for LSG in the important game. The West Indies batter struck six boundaries and four maximums to register 61 runs off 27 balls. He got some assistance from Arshan Khan, who played an unbeaten knock of 58 runs, comprising three fours and five sixes.
About Pooran’s batting, Aakash Chopra said, “The way Nicholas Pooran was hitting, it’s called slogging. Ishant (Sharma) picked up three wickets. Till the time Nicholas Pooran was there, the match was alive because it wasn’t such a big total, you weren’t chasing 250, but then Nicholas also got out.”
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After suffering three defeats in a row, Lucknow Super Giants are almost out of the playoff race. They will be desperate to beat Mumbai Indians in the final league game to finish with 14 points. The match will be played at Mumbai’s Wankhede on May 17.
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