"This was a walk in the park" - Aakash Chopra says IPL 2023 defeat against the Gujarat Titans will hurt the Lucknow Super Giants

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in their IPL 2023 clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT).

The Titans set LSG a 136-run target after opting to bat first in Lucknow on Saturday, April 22. Their bowlers then restricted the home team to 128/7 to register a seven-run win, which seemed improbable at one stage.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the Lucknow Super Giants' loss was unfathomable, explaining:

"It was a match I didn't understand at all. The match was in your grasp. Rashid Khan's overs had also ended and Noor Ahmad also wasn't bowling too well at the start. It seemed like it was very easy. These losses are going to hurt them because this was a walk in the park."

The former Indian opener was stunned about how KL Rahul and Co. allowed a dozen runs to be required off the final over when their skipper was still at the crease, elaborating:

"This was actually a surprise. Forget surprise, you can consider it a shock. When Krunal Pandya got out, they needed 30 runs off 33 balls, less than a run-a-ball. Then they needed 12 runs off the last over and Rahul was still batting. How did it happen?"

Chopra added that LSG made heavy weather of a chase that should have been accomplished by the penultimate over, stating:

"Those 12 runs were not going to be scored and they weren't. Rahul, Ayush Badoni and Marcus Stonis got out and Lucknow were out of the match. Didn't make sense. That run chase should have been much better than this. The match should have been finished by the 19th over."

LSG needed 31 runs off the final six overs with nine wickets in hand. However, they managed just five runs off the next 17 deliveries while also losing Krunal Pandya and Nicholas Pooran's wickets in the process to cede the advantage to the Gujarat Titans, who then never allowed them to get back into the game.

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"It was an extremely slow start" - Aakash Chopra on the Gujarat Titans' innings

Hardik Pandya and Wriddhiman Saha strung together a 68-run partnership for the Gujarat Titans. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Speaking about the Gujarat Titans' innings, Aakash Chopra pointed out that the defending champions did not get off to a flying start, elaborating:

"When Gujarat Titans opted to bat first, it was an extremely slow start. Shubman Gill got out at the start. Wriddhiman Saha put in a lot of effort along with Hardik Pandya. Wriddhi actually scored 47 runs, which was very, very good."

While praising Hardik Pandya for playing a responsible knock, the reputed commentator questioned Rahul for not bowling Amit Mishra his full quota of overs, saying:

"Hardik Pandya played a captain's knock. Lucknow also pulled back later and there too Amit Mishra didn't bowl his four overs. Two overs - nine runs and a wicket and he doesn't finish his quota of covers. It is not understandable why you do that."

Pandya top-scored for the Titans with a 50-ball 66. Wriddhiman Saha (47 off 37) was the only other GT batter to score more than 10 runs, with none of the other batters having a strike rate of more than 100 as well.