“Don’t send him at No. 3, this is IPL not BBL” - Aakash Chopra shares his views on MI promoting Daniel Sams in batting order
Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra was baffled with Mumbai Indians’ (MI) decision to promote bowling all-rounder Daniel Sams to No. 3 in their previous IPL 2022 match against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He opined that Sams may have scored runs in the Big Bash League (BBL) but the same move will not work in the IPL.
Mumbai were chasing a paltry target of 98 against CSK. After Ishan Kishan perished cheaply to left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary, MI decided to experiment with their batting order and sent in Sams at No. 3. The ploy did not work as he was trapped lbw for one off six balls by Choudhary.
Sams’ dismissal left Mumbai in a bit of trouble at 33 for three. They recovered to register a five-wicket win and will now hope to end the season with a couple more victories. The five-time IPL champions will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Tuesday.
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Previewing the match on his YouTube channel, Chopra urged Mumbai to shun the ‘Sams at No. 3’ experiment, stating:
“With playoff qualification out of the question, Mumbai are trying various things. They even gave a chance to Tristan Stubbs. But sending Daniel Sams in at three was beyond my understanding. My suggestion to Mumbai is don’t send him at No. 3, this is IPL not BBL.”
Explaining the tactic, bowling coach Shane Bond told Sportskeeda at a post-match conference that Sams has talent with the bat but admitted that the Aussie hasn’t grabbed his opportunities so far.
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“Rohit hasn’t scored a fifty this season” - Aakash Chopra shares his wishlist for MI
Former Indian opener Chopra also shared a wishlist for Mumbai, which includes runs for Kishan and captain Rohit Sharma. He elaborated:
“My wishlist for Mumbai is that Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan finally score good runs. Rohit hasn’t scored a fifty this season, so hopefully that happens here. Ishan Kishan was purchased for a huge sum, he is a gun player. He will also be expected to score. Tilak Varma has been batting really well. Hopefully, he continues his good run.”
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Varma is Mumbai’s leading run-getter in the IPL 2022 season. He has scored 368 runs in 12 matches at an average of 40.89 and a strike rate of 132.85.