Gujarat Titans too reliant on top 3, says Chopra

Former India batter Aakash Chopra feels Gujarat Titans’ fortunes hinge heavily on their top-three including Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler and Sai Sudharsan and they are not giving themselves “the opportunity” to move beyond their over-reliance on the trio.

Titans’ success in recent seasons has largely depended on their top-order firing, a pattern that continued in their campaign opener against Punjab Kings on Tuesday, when their middle order fragility was exposed once again.

“For Gujarat Titans, the top three will have to fire because they are not giving themselves the opportunity to figure out a different way,” Chopra said on JioStar. GT failed to capitalise on a good batting surface, managing a below-par 162 for six and eventually going down by three wickets.

“Not many would believe it, but Glenn Phillips’ 25 is actually his highest IPL score so far. You would want him to contribute more consistently. Washington Sundar also needs to score quicker because he looked a bit stuck,” Chopra said.

 He also questioned the team’s selection and batting order.

“They have continued with Shahrukh Khan, but I felt Kumar Kushagra also had a case for selection. GT need to rethink how their Nos. 4, 5 and 6 are structured,” he added.

Chopra was also critical of Gill’s captaincy.

“Even the bowling plans were puzzling. Mohammed Siraj still had two overs left when the game was almost done, and Prasidh Krishna was introduced quite late. Overall, Shubman Gill’s captaincy left a bit to be desired,” he added.