"This will be Vijay Shankar's last innings"- Aakash Chopra warns all-rounder to perform well against PBKS in IPL 2022
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has been disappointed with Gujarat Titans (GT) all-rounder Vijay Shankar's performances in the IPL 2022 season so far.
The 31-year-old has scored just 17 runs in two games at a poor strike rate of 65.38 and conceded 14 runs in the solitary over that he has bowled.
Chopra believes No.3 is an important position as the batter can set the tone for the innings at that spot. So the 44-year-old reckons that the game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) could be a do-or-die one for Shankar.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Aakash Chopra had to say about the Tamil Nadu all-rounder:
"At No.3, if he gets an opportunity, this will be Vijay Shankar's last innings. The team might not look at him after this. He is neither picking wickets with the ball nor is he scoring runs with the bat and No.3 is an important slot."
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Aakash Chopra also feels time is running out for Matthew Wade
After 11 long years, Australian wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade has had an opportunity to showcase his skills in the IPL.
So far, though, Wade hasn't quite been able to cement his place at the top of the order with just 31 runs from two games at a modest strike rate of 100.
On this, Aakash Chopra stated:
"Matthew Wade hasn't scored runs so far. His day has not yet been made. They would still stick to him because he is the captain's favorite and this is Ashish Nehra's team, they don't make changes frequently."
Aakash Chopra reckons Wade has a huge opportunity to score big against the inexperienced PBKS pace attack. However, if the 34-year-old fails again, Chopra feels GT could think of exploring other options.
He added:
'The time will pass soon as he will find the likes of Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep and Rabada. Except Rabada, the fast bowling would be a big light and that's your chance Wade. If you can't then there is a problem. Then they can look at Rahmanullah Gurbaz or Wriddhiman Saha."
The contest between GT and PBKS promises to be a cracking one as it might be a showdown between arguably one of the best bowling attacks this season (GT) and one of the most powerful batting line-ups (PBKS).