“Ball is coming slowly off his hands and it's not great" - Aakash Chopra on senior SRH pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance in IPL 2022
Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra reckons that experienced Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar isn't able to generate much pace in his bowling, which is hampering his effectiveness in IPL 2022.
Kumar has claimed two wickets in three matches so far. And while he has been economical, he has hardly looked threatening. The 32-year-old registered figures of 1 for 36 in Hyderabad’s win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 9.
According to the IPL 2022 schedule, SRH will now take on the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Monday. Analyzing the clash, Chopra said on his YouTube channel, while speaking about Hyderabad’s bowling:
“Bhuvneshwar Kumar is looking okay. The ball is coming slowly off his hands and it’s not great. Umran Malik is bowling fast, but remains expensive. T Natarajan has been outstanding. They can play Marco Jansen or Romario Shepherd. It won’t make much of a difference.”
On what Hyderabad can do to end Gujarat’s winning runs, Chopra said:
“If SRH can find a way to dismiss Shubman Gill and Hardik Pandya early, they can think of winning the match.”
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In their previous IPL 2022 match against CSK, Hyderabad thumped the defending champions by eight wickets. They first restricted Chennai to 154/7 and then chased down the target with ease as opener Abhishek Sharma top-scored with 75 in 50 balls.
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“Gujarat’s bowling is absolutely phenomenal” - Aakash Chopra on why GT have upper hand over SRH
While he wasn’t too impressed with Hyderabad’s bowling resources, Chopra described Gujarat’s bowling attack as 'phenomenal’. According to the 44-year-old, the pitches are offering the bowlers assistance, making them even more dangerous. He elaborated:
“Gujarat’s bowling is absolutely phenomenal. As long as the pitches have pace and movement, this bowling attack is going to trouble everyone. Hardik is bowling at 140 kph these days. Lockie Ferguson is around 145 kph. He will most probably walk away with the fastest delivery award. Mohammed Shami is also bowling very well. In Rashid Khan, they have a four-over bank. I am expecting bowlers to rule the roost.”
While Shami has claimed six wickets in three matches, Rashid and Ferguson have picked up five each.