Veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has opened up on a much-discussed plan against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) opener Travis Head that helped the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to dismiss him and register a crucial win as well. However, RCB posted a 207-run target in Hyderabad on Thursday, April 25 and then eventually registered a comfortable 35-run win.
While reflecting on SRH’s chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “200-plus runs were required on a pitch on which it seemed like the ball was getting stuck a little. You needed to encash the powerplay, that’s what Hyderabad does (generally). However, Travis Head got out in the first over. This was the first powerplay over in their entire season in which not even one boundary was hit.”
“Travis Head got out to Will Jacks. We have repeatedly said that you should get a spinner against Travis Head. Abhishek Sharma – he is good. He scored 31 runs off 13 balls. He is batting extremely well, whether you bring spin or fast bowling against him. However, it was one too many, the ball went straight up in the air and he also got out,” the former India opener further added.
However, Travis Head was caught by Karn Sharma at short third man while trying to play Jacks across the line. Abhishek tried to hit a big shot off Yash Dayal’s bowling and was caught by Dinesh Karthik behind the wickets. Aakash Chopra added that the fifth over bowled by Swapnil Singh virtually knocked SRH out of the game as well.
“Then there was a Swapnil Singh over. It was Swapnil Singh’s first match for Bengaluru. He bowled his first over and (Aiden) Markram got out to a full toss. There was a free hit, a six was hit, 19 runs were scored, but (Heinrich Klaasen) also got out off the last ball. 19 runs, two wickets, and four wickets in the powerplay – you are done. There was no chance to come out from there. Karn Sharma dismissed Nitish Reddy and Abdul Samad. We have repeatedly said that you should play Karn. You should have played Karn all matches from Day 1 because you neither have (Yuzvendra) Chahal nor Waninidu Hasaranga,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
