"Sanju Samson's fight is with himself" - Aakash Chopra on Rajasthan Royals' prospects in IPL 2022 Qualifier 2 clash vs RCB
Aakash Chopra has pointed out that Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson has contributed to his own dismissals against Wanindu Hasaranga.
Samson was caught and bowled by Hasaranga in RR's first clash against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022. He was castled by the Sri Lankan leg-spinner while playing a reverse sweep in their last meeting.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on Rajasthan Royals' prospects in Friday's (May 27) Qualifier 2 encounter. He advised Samson to be slightly more circumspect against Hasaranga, explaining:
"Sanju Samson's fight is with himself. Wanindu Hasaranga has dismissed him many times but he doesn't dismiss him, Sanju dismisses himself. Sanju himself tries to play such shots that he gets out eventually. Will ego come in between again, that I am going to take you on, I don't care what your name is or what your record is. It will not matter if you become conservative against one bowler."
The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player expects Jos Buttler to gather momentum as his innings progresses. He observed:
"Jos Buttler is back in form, which is good news. I again expect conservative batting from Jos at the start, he will hit later whatever he has to hit because the form is back now."
Buttler scored 89 runs in the Rajasthan Royals' Qualifier 1 loss to the Gujarat Titans. However, he was slow off the blocks and was back to his explosive best only in the latter stages of his innings.
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"Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring runs might just be the key to their success" - Aakash Chopra on Rajasthan Royals' other batters
Aakash Chopra feels Yashasvi Jaiswal could hold the key to the Rajasthan Royals' prospects in the encounter. He said:
"Yashasvi Jaiswal is there along with him (Buttler), he had gotten dismissed in the last match. I feel Yashasvi Jaiswal scoring runs might just be the key to their success. If he gets out early, this team will be in trouble. Yashasvi is a good player but it is going to be interesting."
The renowned commentator feels Ravichandran Ashwin is unlikely to be promoted in the batting order unless the Rajasthan Royals lose some early wickets. He elaborated:
"Shimron Hetmyer's form has been okay-okay since he has come back. Will they send Ravichandran Ashwin up the order again? I am not a 100% certain, because bouncers will be bowled as soon as he comes, unless they find themselves in a spot of bother."
Ashwin was sent to bat at No. 3 in the Rajasthan Royals' last clash against RCB. The veteran off-spinner scored a quickfire 17 runs off nine deliveries before he was dismissed by a Mohammed Siraj short ball.