“There is a problem with the batting” – Aakash Chopra analyzes Gujarat Titans’ squad for IPL 2022

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has opined that the Gujarat Titans’ (GT) weak batting could hurt their chances in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season.

GT, along with KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), will be making their debut in the tournament during this year’s edition.

Analyzing Gujarat’s squad during a discussion on his YouTube channel, Chopra stated that there are chinks in the batting department. He said:

“There is a problem with the batting. Shubman Gill as opener is fine. Gill’s best is yet to come and I think it will be for Gujarat Titans. I think with Jason Roy gone they will open with Matthew Wade. They have picked Rahmanullah Gurbaz, but I think they will go with Wade.”

Elaborating further, Chopra said that Gujarat Titans’ middle-order does not have much proven quality. He added:

“No.3 is also a problem. They can play Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha, but I can’t see any other option. I think they will go with Shankar. Hardik Pandya must bat at No.4. If he doesn’t bat there, it would be a big mistake.”

According to the 44-year-old, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Gujarat’s batting struggles during IPL 2022. Giving reasons for his assumption, Chopra explained:

“As good a player as he is, Wade has not done well in India. Pandya is coming back from an injury and his batting has not been good in recent times. David Miller has found some form recently but it was five years ago that he had a good season. There is hope that they will do well, but if they don’t it won’t be a surprise.”

Hardik, who was released by the Mumbai Indians (MI) ahead of the mega auction, was picked by GT from the draft list and named IPL captain.

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“They have plenty of options” – Akash Chopra on Gujarat Titans’ bowling

Unlike the batting department, Chopra is quite pleased with GT’s bowling resources. He termed Mohammed Shami a good pick even though there have been question marks over his T20 ability. The former opener said:

“Mohammed Shami could be expensive and may not be counted among gun T20 bowlers, but he is a good bowler nonetheless. In Yash Dayal, they have a have a good left-arm fast bowler. He moves the ball around and has pace as well.”

Describing GT’s attack as one of the better ones in IPL 2022, he pointed out:

“They have Alzarri Joseph, Dominic Drakes, Pradeep Sangwan and Varun Aaron too. There is Rashid Khan, of course, and Sai Kishore and Jayant Yadav. They have plenty of bowling options and might be one of the better bowling units in the tournament.”

The Gujarat Titans will begin their IPL 2022 schedule by taking on the Lucknow Super Giants at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 28.