"He couldn't accelerate in the end the way you expect from him" - Aakash Chopra on Ravindra Jadeja's knock in CSK's IPL 2024 loss to LSG

Aakash Chopra has noted that Ravindra Jadeja couldn't give the required impetus to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) innings in their IPL 2024 clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

Jadeja scored an unbeaten 57 off 40 deliveries as CSK set LSG a 177-run target in Lucknow on Friday, April 19. KL Rahul and company chased the target down with eight wickets and an over to spare to hand the visitors their third defeat in seven games.

Reviewing CSK's batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Jadeja didn't live up to expectations.

"Jaddu had to be sent up the order. Jaddu scored a fifty and stayed unbeaten till the end as well but he couldn't accelerate in the end the way you expect from him. If you have been sent at No. 4, got to bat almost in the powerplay and you stay till the end, you should score 70-80 runs in 40 balls. The thinking is like that but he didn't reach there," he explained (2:30).

On the flip side, the former India opener praised MS Dhoni for playing a blazing knock.

"What a guy he (Dhoni) is. When he comes, people bowl a wide yorker to him on the first ball. If that becomes a wide or he hits over cover, everyone comes under pressure. Then they are unable to bowl to him," Chopra said.

"He hit over cover, hit Yash Thakur for a six when he bowled at the stumps, then on the off side, and a 360-degree shot against Mohsin Khan. An upgraded and updated version has come. MS Dhoni 2.0, 3.0, 5.0 - God knows. He is telling others that the lion has gotten old but is still No. 1 while hunting," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 28 off just nine balls with the help of three fours and two sixes. He dominated his unbroken 35-run seventh-wicket partnership with Jadeja.

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"It's a problem" - Aakash Chopra on CSK's opening partnership

Rachin Ravindra was bowled by Mohsin Khan for a golden duck. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on the start of CSK's innings, Aakash Chopra claimed that Rachin Ravindra's consistent failures are concerning.

"The start was not good. In my opinion, it's a problem. Chennai have won four games and will play the next three at home and might win all three. They might qualify and lift the trophy as well but the truth is that they are not batting that well because Rachin Ravindra is not doing well," he noted (2:00).

"If Rachin doesn't do well, suddenly you feel that the opening partnership is not happening at all. If a team doesn't have opening partnerships, it's rare for them to do well for long. So they are stuck. Ajju (Ajinkya Rahane) played for some time and scored runs as well," Chopra added.

Ravindra, who played a couple of blazing cameos at the start of the tournament, has a top score of 21 in his last five innings. It remains to be seen if CSK persist with him, considering that Devon Conway has already been ruled out of this season's IPL.