“He gave four overs to a part-timer” - Wasim Jaffer questions DC skipper Rishabh Pant’s tactics against LSG in IPL 2022 clash

Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer reckons that Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant missed the trick. He erred by not utilizing Axar Patel's full quota of four overs against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Thursday’s IPL 2022 clash. He pointed out a major flaw in Delhi’s tactics, stating that part-time bowler Lalit Yadav ended up bowling four overs.

DC registered their second consecutive loss in IPL 2022, going down to LSG by six wickets. Chasing a target of 150, Lucknow sneaked home in the last over on a sluggish surface at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.

Analyzing the IPL match during a discussion on ESPNcricinfo, Jaffer was baffled by Pant’s decision to not make best use of his match-winning bowlers. He opined:

“Rishabh Pant missed a trick. He gave four overs to a part-timer Lalit Yadav. The wicket-taking option of his, Axar Patel, bowled only two overs.”

Jaffer admitted that Pant probably didn’t bowl Axar against Quinton de Kock because it was a left-arm spinner against the left-hander. He, however, added that as captain, the youngster will need to take such risks. Jaffer elaborated:

“Probably somebody would have gone after a left-arm spinner. Getting Quinton de Kock out at that point would have opened up the game. Axar bowled those two overs really well, so why not? It does surprise me. Also, Kuldeep only came on to bowl as Anrich Nortje was ruled out of the attack because of the no balls. If Nortje’s got an off-day, playing after five months, why keep bowling him?”

The South African speedster played his first match in IPL 2022, but was completely rusty. He gave away 35 runs in 2.2 overs before he was taken out of the attack, having sent down two above-the-waist no-balls.

Click here to view the most sixes in IPL 2022.

“They got it absolutely wrong” - Wasim Jaffer on DC’s decision to promote Rovman Powell to No.3

DC got off to a fantastic start in the match as opener Prithvi Shaw smashed 61 in 34 balls. Following Shaw’s dismissal, DC promoted big-hitting Rovman Powell to number 3. He was bowled out for three runs as LSG fought back into the contest.

Reflecting on the change in the batting order, Jaffer termed it a mistake. Sharing his views, he explained:

“Sending Rovman Powell at 3 was very decisive, something that went wrong for Delhi Capitals. They got it absolutely wrong. Sarfaraz Khan should have come. With the kind of start Prithvi (Shaw) had given, had Sarfaraz come in and batted against the spinners, he would have done a much better job. Then, having that power of Powell at the backend of the innings, they could have easily got 20-25 runs more.”

The 44-year-old added that Pant’s lack of trust in his main bowlers also had an impact on the end result. He said:

Not trusting the spinner to bowl in the middle overs, somewhere Pant has to trust his main bowlers. When you are defending a total that is below par, sometimes you have to bowl your best bowlers in critical situations.”

Chasing 150, the Lucknow Super Giants needed 19 off the last two overs. They won with two balls to spare as Ayush Badoni smacked Shardul Thakur for a four and six off consecutive deliveries.