Aakash Chopra has named Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Hardik Pandya as one of the players to watch out for in the IPL 2024 match against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).
India vs. Australia in World Cup cricket. A clash of the titans! Hyderabad’s the venue, March 27 the date. Both teams suffered close losses in their opening games. They’re hungry to score that first win.
In a YouTube video, Chopra stated that Hardik’s leadership decisions will be scrutinized in the MI-SRH match.
“Hardik Pandya will be the No. 1 player in focus. Hardik Pandya’s captaincy will be in focus because there will be a question every time about how he is doing it. You are looking at it with a magnifying glass at times. Some people like something and others find it wrong.”
“It remains to be seen whether they will play Luke Wood, and if they do, will they give him just one over? Will he again take the new ball in his hand? You have Jasprit Bumrah, Luke Wood and Gerald Coetzee. If you have a fast-bowling attack like that, should Hardik bowl with the new ball?”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra also mentioned that it is unclear where Hardik himself will bat. He noted that the Mumbai Indians captain appeared to be in excellent condition, given the six he struck over cover, but he has to go up the order and play a sufficient amount of deliveries.
“As every match passes, the pressure will mount” – Aakash Chopra on Ishan Kishan
Aakash Chopra has selected Ishan Kishan as the second Mumbai Indians player he would closely observe.
“The second player I am again going to look towards is Ishan Kishan. He came to the last match with a huge reputation and expectation that he would score runs. Azmatullah Omarzai dismissed him quickly. As every match passes, the pressure will mount. So Ishan Kishan will be a major focal point for me.”
Aakash Chopra
The cricketer-turned-commentator has named Luke Wood as the third MI player he is interested to see.
“I am picking a slightly out-of-the-box player as the third one. I am picking Luke Wood. Bumrah is bowling well in any case and Gerald Coetzee also had a good debut, Piyush Chawla is bowling decently, but Luke Wood has a huge amount of potential. If he bowls two or three overs in the powerplay, he will pick up one or two wickets.”
Aakash Chopra
Wood allowed six runs in his lone over with the new ball against the Gujarat Titans. Rahul Tewatia hauled him around the park after reintroducing him into the assault in the 18th over.