"The No. 1 player I am picking is Rajdhani Express" - Aakash Chopra on 3 players in focus in LSG-GT IPL 2024 clash
Aakash Chopra has chosen Mayank Yadav as the first player to watch out for in the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) IPL 2024 clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT).
The two teams will square off at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow in Sunday's (April 7) second game. Yadav heads into the game on the back of 'Player of the Match' performances in LSG's previous two games against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) respectively.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that the excitement generated due to Yadav's emergence is similar to Jasprit Bumrah's arrival.
"The No. 1 player I am picking is Rajdhani Express - Mayank 'pacy' Yadav. It will once again be worth watching how he bowls. When did you have that kind of excitement after seeing any bowler? I will tell you when I had it - when we started watching Jasprit Bumrah. It was extremely enjoyable to watch him bowl," he said (15:15).
"Then there were flashes with Umran Malik. Now Mayank Yadav has played two matches, been Player of the Match in both, picked up three wickets both times, and has broken his speed record in two consecutive matches - 155.8 and 156.7. Could it be 157-point-something this time?" the former India opener added.
Chopra claimed that the red-soil pitch and the huge ground in Lucknow will suit Yadav. He also observed that the express pacer has been used in the correct phases in the last two games by Nicholas Pooran and KL Rahul respectively.
"If Mayank Yadav is on one side, who should negotiate him?" - Aakash Chopra on Shubman Gill
![Shubman Gill scored an unbeaten 89 in Gujarat Titans' previous game. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/04/1ba52-17124748641677-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra picked Shubman Gill as the Gujarat Titans player in focus.
"When I focus towards the second player, I see Shubman Gill, because if Mayank Yadav is on one side, who should negotiate him? Kane Williamson will also be there but I will go towards Shubman Gill because he played very well in the last match," he reasoned (16:20).
The cricketer-turned-commentator named the destructive Nicholas Pooran as the third player he is eager to watch in Sunday's evening game.
"The third player, who I am seeing as very explosive, is Nicholas Pooran. He gladdens the hearts. I am just wanting him to bat slightly up the order. However, he is batting incredibly well. He is hitting huge sixes. So the focus will be on him as well," Chopra stated.
The former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player reckons the scales are tilted slightly towards the Lucknow Super Giants. He reasoned that the Titans are missing Mohammed Shami a lot and even Hardik Pandya to some extent in the middle order.