"They might not play Noor Ahmad here" - Aakash Chopra on Gujarat Titans' IPL 2023 clash vs Mumbai Indians

Aakash Chopra reckons the Gujarat Titans (GT) might not field Noor Ahmad in their bowling attack for their IPL 2023 clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI).

The two sides will lock horns at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, May 12. A win for the defending champions will guarantee them a top-two finish and a spot in Qualifier 1.

While previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted the Gujarat Titans' bowling might but added that they might not play Noor Ahmad in the dewy conditions at Wankhede, elaborating:

"Gujarat is a team that's flying. They have to get a 'Q' in front of their name and for that they need to win today's match. So that is their motive. This ground's history is that a lot of runs are scored here but if there is one team who might not concede 200, that's Gujarat Titans."

The former Indian opener added:

"You will once again see a chasing bias in this game. Whoever bats second will be benefitted because the ball gets quite wet. There is a lot of dew. They might not play Noor Ahmad here. They might go with an extra fast bowler if Mumbai are chasing."

Chopra pointed out that Hardik Pandya and Co. have a plethora of seam-bowling options to choose from, observing:

"Joshua Little is probably still not available. So you can see Alzarri Joseph playing. They have so much luxury that they can play Shivam Mavi as well. They have plenty of fast-bowling options available."

On the flip side, Chopra feels the visitors might play Noor to counter Cameron Green and Tim David's threat in the Mumbai Indians' middle order. The two big hitters were among the Afghanistan left-arm wrist-spinner's three victims in the reverse fixture between the two sides.

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"Batting is actually clicking together beautifully" - Aakash Chopra on the Gujarat Titans' batting

Shubman Gill is the Gujarat Titans' top run-getter in IPL 2023. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Gujarat Titans possess a formidable batting lineup as well, explaining:

"Batting is actually clicking together beautifully. Wriddhiman Saha is batting amazingly well. Shubman Gill is a man on a mission. After that, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller and Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan also bats well."

However, the cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that Shubman Gill's record at the Wankhede Stadium is extremely ordinary. He added that while the classy opener invariably makes a big score in Ahmedabad, his numbers fall alarmingly whenever he comes to Mumbai.