Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra questioned Kolkata Knight Riders after they registered a seven-wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on Sunday. Chopra wondered why KKR’s fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana didn’t play despite recently joining the squad.
Pathirana was acquired for a whopping amount of INR 18 crores in the mini auction by the three-time champions. However, despite Pathirana’s absence, KKR were able to skittle out SRH at 165 in 19 overs.
“They bowled very well. The Powerplay wasn’t good, but they bowled very well after that. Pathirana is still not playing. No one is telling why Pathirana isn’t there. How can he still not be available? Why has he come here then?” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“You played Finn Allen now, and you played Tim Seifert at times. You are changing your opening combination, but you are not gaining anything from it because Finn Allen also hasn’t really fired,” he added.
However, Chopra praised the KKR bowlers, especially the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, after their sublime show. While Chakravarthy returned with figures of 3-36, Narine bagged 2-31 in his four overs.
“In bowling, the world has changed because of Varun Chakaravarthy coming in form. He had three wickets to his name. Sunil Narine became the first overseas bowler to have 200 wickets to his name. He was brilliant. So they kept them in check later. You won the game despite losing the Powerplay because you restricted the opposing team to 165,” he observed.
The renowned commentator said the target of 166 suited Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi’s style of play.
“Ajinkya Rahane, these runs suit him. Angkrish Raghuvanshi is another good player. Once again, both of them were batting together. They have problems if the total is big. 165 was well within their range,” he said.
“Raghuvanshi scored his third fifty and the second against this team this year. Angkrish Raghuvanshi is actually a serious talent, and Rinku Singh finished the game quickly in the end,” Chopra observed.
Rahane scored 43 runs off 36 balls, whereas Raghuvanshi scored 59 runs off 47 balls.
