"It was Rishabh Pant's spot" - Aakash Chopra questions Delhi Capitals for sending Abhishek Porel at No. 3 in IPL 2024 loss to Mumbai Indians
Aakash Chopra has questioned the Delhi Capitals (DC) for sending Abhishek Porel instead of Rishabh Pant at No. 3 in their loss to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in an IPL 2024 clash in Mumbai on Sunday, April 7.
MI set DC a mammoth 235-run target after being asked to bat first. Pant, who walked out to bat at the start of the 16th over, managed just a solitary run as the Capitals were restricted to 205/8 and lost the game by 29 runs.
Reflecting on the Delhi Capitals' chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Pant should have batted at No. 3.
"You are rarely successful in a 234-run chase. However, they gave it a fight. Here I have a question. Prithvi Shaw was playing well. David Warner had gotten out - no issues. However, who came to bat at No. 3 - Abhishek Porel. Nothing against the kid, he is very good, he once hit Harshal Patel for 25 runs in the last over, but it was Rishabh Pant's spot," he explained (13:50).
"Rishabh Pant should have come. Why didn't you come? You didn't give yourself time. Abhishek Porel did whatever he could. He was running close to a strike rate of 150, which is not a bad outcome, but you were chasing 234," the former India opener added.
Chopra praised Jasprit Bumrah for picking up crucial wickets and bowling an extremely economical spell.
"Prithvi Shaw batted well and they needed Jasprit Bumrah to dismiss Prithvi Shaw. Boom Boom is in a different league. In such matches, when you are defending a total, you feel it's not a 20-over game because runs aren't scored at all in Jasprit Bumrah's four overs and he also picks up wickets. He eventually dismissed Abhishek Porel as well," he elaborated.
Bumrah registered figures of 2/22 in four overs. He castled Prithvi Shaw (66 off 40) with an impeccable yorker and had Porel (41 off 31) caught by Tim David at long-on.
"Tristan Stubbs came later and kept you alive for some time" - Aakash Chopra lauds Delhi Capitals middle-order batter
![Tristan Stubbs smashed an unbeaten 71 off just 25 balls. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/606ae-17125519027400-1920.jpg?w=500)
While appreciating Tristan Stubbs for playing a blazing knock, Aakash Chopra noted that the target was virtually beyond the Delhi Capitals' reach.
"Tristan Stubbs came later and kept you alive for some time. He kept hitting sixes. He scored 70-odd runs in very few balls. However, you had to lose in the end because the runs were too much. Delhi have lost another game and their situation is like Bengaluru's," he said (14:55).
The Mumbai Indians leapfrogged the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Delhi Capitals in the standings after Sunday's win. Although all three teams have two points apiece, the five-time champions have a better net run rate and an additional game in hand.