"Shreyas Iyer has underperformed, better things expected"- Aakash Chopra wants KKR captain to step up against PBKS in IPL 2022
Aakash Chopra feels Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain Shreyas Iyer hasn't quite made an impact with the bat so far in the IPL 2022 season.
The 27-year-old has shown great leadership qualities but has scored just 33 runs from the first two games at a modest strike rate of 113.79. Aakash Chopra feels Shreyas Iyer's wicket in the last game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore was one of the main reasons why KKR couldn't post enough runs on the board.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra explained how the 27-year-old needs to shoulder more responsibility with the bat for KKR.
The former Indian opener said:
"Shreyas Iyer has underperformed so far this season. In the past two games, better things were expected of him. I thought the last match, that (his wicket) was the game-changing moment."
Check out who is at the top of the IPL points table 2022 here.
Apart from Shreyas Iyer, Aakash Chopra also questioned Nitish Rana's approach in the game against RCB
Nitish Rana is another Indian star that KKR heavily invested in at the IPL 2022 mega auction. The Kolkata franchise dished out a whopping ₹8 crore for Rana. In the absence of Dinesh Karthik, a lot has been expected out of Rana to provide stability in the middle-order.
Although the 28-year-old has maintained a strike-rate of 140.91 this season, he has failed to make his start count, scoring just 31 runs from two games. He has also been dismissed against the run of play due to poor shot selection.
Aakash Chopra believes that as an experienced pro in the KKR batting line-up, Rana will need to become more consistent with the bat.
"Nitish Rana is throwing his wicket away. He needs to give himself more time and needs to play carefully is what I feel."
Nitish Rana's no look six 🥵 #CSKvKKR https://t.co/wm77FyWLrA
KKR did well to take their previous game to the last over despite scoring just 128. However, they will know that against an explosive batting line-up like the Punjab Kings, they will need to post a daunting total on the board.