Aakash Chopra questioned the Delhi Capitals following their IPL 2023 defeat to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in match 40th, for not utilising Axar Patel efficiently as a batter.
On Saturday, April 29, SRH set a 198-run goal for DC after deciding to bat first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. Axar, who came in after Manish Pandey, Priyam Garg, and Sarfaraz Khan, hit an unbeaten 29 off 14 balls but could not lead his team to victory. DC eventually lost the game by nine runs.
Chopra criticised the Delhi Capitals for their unacceptable use of Axar, in a video posted to his YouTube channel:
“What are the Delhi guys doing? Can you not use Axar Patel properly? Why is it so difficult to understand that this player has the might, he is batting very well, and he likes this pitch a lot?”
The former Indian opener stated that Axar Patel has been the Delhi Capitals’ most responsible batter after their captain David Warner, saying:
“Despite Mitchell Marsh scoring runs, the fact is that if anyone has batted with responsibility and who can attack as well, that’s Axar Patel. You lost this match by nine runs and the three batters who went ahead of Axar Patel played 22 balls and scored 22 runs.”
Chopra went on to say that the decision taken by Delhi Capitals think tank was a little beyond his comprehension. He believes that if Axar is given more opportunities to bat, he can help the team win more games.
Aakash Chopra raises doubts about the way Sunrisers Hyderabad is handling its players.
Aakash Chopra also criticised SunRisers Hyderabad for their treatment of Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 67 runs off 36 balls against DC, saying:
“If you are Hyderabad’s fan, ask Hyderabad what they are doing. You got Abhishek Sharma to open in the first match, he got out for zero off Trent Boult’s ball and you moved him down the order. Then you got him to open against Chennai, he scored runs and you demoted him again in the next match.”
He emphasised that SRH forced Abhishek to bat down the order in order to accommodate Harry Brook at the top, stating:
“Now you have got him to open again, I hope you won’t move him down again. If you are not going to treat your players well just because you spent a lot of money on Harry Brook and want to bat him at the top, then think about Harry and forget about Abhishek.“
Chopra was also dissatisfied with SRH’s handling of Umran Malik. He admitted that the speedster was not at his best, having given up 22 runs in his first over. However, he believes that the pacer should have been given another chance.