"Reddy sir, what shot were you playing?" - Aakash Chopra criticizes SRH's batting in IPL 2025 loss to DC

Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned the SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) batting approach in their IPL 2025 loss to the Delhi Capitals (DC). He was particularly disappointed with Nitish Kumar Reddy's shot selection that led to his dismissal.

DC bowled SRH out for 163 in Match 10 of IPL 2025 in Visakhapatnam on Sunday (March 30), with Reddy falling for a two-ball duck. The hosts then achieved the target with seven wickets and four overs to spare to start their campaign in the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League with two successive wins.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener lauded Mitchell Starc for picking up a five-wicket haul for DC but criticized SRH's, especially Reddy's, hasty approach with the bat.

"When you came to bat, why were you in such a hurry? When you are unable to reach 170 and don't even play the entire 120 balls, the question arises that in the plan you have made to optimize every ball, there should be a system to put a break somewhere, but it wasn't there at all," Chopra said (12:40).

"Mitchell Starc picked up his first five-wicket haul. He has taken a massive pay cut, but check his performance. He got Travis Head out with a bouncer. He got Ishan Kishan caught in the deep and then Nitish Kumar Reddy. Reddy sir, what shot were you playing? Please give yourself a little time. No one is giving himself time," he added.

The cricketer-turned-commentator appreciated Starc for devising an excellent game plan on a pitch that wasn't assisting the seamers.

"He (Reddy) too got out, and then Axar Patel's incredible catch in the end. He (Starc) also picked up the last wicket to end the innings. His bowling was absolutely gold dust. You have to bowl differently on an afternoon pitch as you don't get swing, and it seemed like he came with a different plan. Mitchell Starc was absolutely outstanding," Chopra observed.

Mitchell Starc (5/35 in 3.4 overs) dismissed Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, and Travis Head in his first spell, with Reddy virtually gifting him his wicket by playing an ungainly lofted shot to be caught by Axar Patel at mid-on. The left-arm seamer then dismissed Harshal Patel and Wiaan Mulder in his final over to complete his five-wicket haul.

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"He bowls slow and gets the ball to turn" - Aakash Chopra lauds Kuldeep Yadav's spell in DC's IPL 2025 win vs SRH

Kuldeep Yadav registered figures of 3/22 in four overs in DC's IPL 2025 win against SRH. [P/C: iplt20.com]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra praised Kuldeep Yadav for bowling a potent spell in the Delhi Capitals' IPL 2025 clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad.

"Although it's not a big ground, but that's Kuldeep Yadav's story. He picked up wickets in the last match and this match as well. He bowled more dot balls in the last match. He bowls slow and gets the ball to turn. Even if you keep hitting sixes, he is not one of those bowlers who would start bowling fast. So the ball goes up in the air, and you get caught," he said (14:15).

The analyst opined that SRH's batting in Sunday's game was reckless rather than brave.

"Whether it was Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy or Abhinav Manohar, give yourself a little time. Do that at least when the team is getting out. There is a very thin line between carelessness or recklessness and bravery. They looked slightly reckless this time," Chopra observed.

However, Aakash Chopra lauded Aniket Verma for scoring a belligerent 41-ball 74 during SRH's innings. Reflecting on DC's chase, he praised Faf du Plessis (50 off 27) for scoring an attacking half-century and Zeeshan Ansari (3/42 in four overs) for bowling an impressive spell.