"If you have blisters on your hand, say that" - Aakash Chopra questions Rishabh Pant's batting position in LSG's IPL 2025 loss to DC

Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned Rishabh Pant's batting position in the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) IPL 2025 clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC). He noted that it should be explicitly stated if the wicketkeeper-batter was demoted due to blisters on his hand.

Pant walked out to bat after 19.4 overs and was dismissed for a two-ball duck as LSG set DC a 160-run target in Match 40 of IPL 2025 in Lucknow on Tuesday, April 22. The visitors achieved the target with eight wickets and 13 deliveries to spare to register their sixth win in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League and consolidate their second position on the points table.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener wondered whether Pant came to bat at No. 7 due to blisters on his hand. However, Chopra opined that the LSG captain should have walked out to the middle earlier since he was playing and eventually batted.

"Rishabh Pant came to bat for only two balls. What are you doing? If you have blisters on your hand, say that, and if not, come to bat. We saw something tied on his hand during the toss, and I got news that he has blisters on his hand, and that's probably the reason. However, if you are playing and eventually go to bat, you should have gone to bat earlier," he said (0:01).

Chopra noted that Pant has been dismissed for ducks in both his innings against the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025.

"It's the team he (Pant) used to captain earlier, and was playing against them now. The interesting thing is that he scored zero in the last match and zero in this match also. Rishabh Pant hasn't yet opened his account against Delhi. He was good for Delhi, and the job hasn't happened properly since he left Delhi," he observed.

While acknowledging that he isn't sure who decided Pant's batting position, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that everything doesn't seem to be fine in the LSG camp.

"Why didn't you come to bat? In fact, Deep Dasgupta even asked him why he didn't go. He said it was the team's plan, and they sent (Abdul) Samad and then (David) Miller, and it didn't work out well. I am not a body language reader. I don't know whose decision it was. From a distance, as I don't have any inside information, it felt that things are not right," Chopra elaborated.

LSG sent Abdul Samad (2 off 8) at No. 4 in their IPL 2025 clash against DC. They then sent David Miller (14* off 15) at No. 5 and even used Ayush Badoni (36 off 21) as the impact player before sending Pant.

---

"You should have scored 200" - Aakash Chopra on Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram's excellent opening partnership in LSG's IPL 2025 clash vs DC

Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram stitched together an 87-run opening wicket partnership in LSG's IPL 2025 clash against DC. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that LSG should have posted a 200-run total in their IPL 2025 clash against DC, considering the excellent start given by Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram.

"They started very well. When Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram batted so well and gave such a good start, you should have scored 200. Markram scored a fifty and Mitchell Marsh played very well. Both batted solidly. Whatever Delhi threw at them, it didn't make a difference to them," he said (4:05).

While reiterating that Rishabh Pant's batting position didn't make sense, the analyst praised Markram and Marsh for their consistent performances in IPL 2025.

"Of course, wickets do fall at some stage. Wickets fell, and (Nicholas) Pooran, Samad, Badoni and Miller came, and Rishabh Pant came in the end. That did not make sense. However, Aiden Markram has become this team's reliable bank, and Mitchell Marsh is batting extremely well," Chopra observed.

Aiden Markram scored 52 runs off 33 deliveries with the help of two fours and three sixes. Mitchell Marsh struck three fours and a maximum in his 36-ball 45, with Ayush Badoni being the only other LSG player to score more than 15 runs in Tuesday's game.