Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra questioned Mitchell Marsh’s approach after Lucknow Super Giants suffered a seven-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, on Tuesday.
Marsh scored 96 runs off 57 balls with the help of 11 fours and five sixes. Thus, the Australian played a key role in helping LSG post a decent score of 220 runs on the board. However, Chopra noted that Marsh slowed down in the second half of his innings.
Marsh scored 68 runs off the first 35 balls he faced but managed only 28 runs off the next 22 deliveries.
“This will be a slightly unpopular opinion because the guy has scored nearly a century, so how would it look good if I talk like this? Josh Inglis has set the stage on fire since he started opening. Mitchell Marsh had scored 68 runs off his first 35 balls, but after that, he slowed down radically,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“He made only 28 runs off the next 22 balls, which included three fours and a six. It means you made only 10 runs off 18 balls, which means you played eight dot balls. This was when the Powerlay was over and when singles were being given to you on a platter. I have no idea why he slowed down,” he added.
The renowned commentator hailed Vaibhav Suryavanshi for scoring a blistering knock of 93 runs off just 38 balls. The left-hander smashed seven fours and 10 maximums in his brilliant knock.
“How well Vaibhav Suryavanshi played. The start was actually slower than a run-a-ball, but after that, when he started hitting, he kept hitting. He reached very close to a hundred once again. He missed the hundred, but he was absolutely stellar,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer also praised Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal for scoring crucial knocks of 53 and 43 runs respectively.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal gave an incredible start. He was playing as a captain this time. Dhruv Jurel was the right kind of steady man, who was required to manage the team till the end and go after winning the game. Since it was a high-scoring run chase, they made and gave a model of a perfect run chase,” Chopra observed.
Rajasthan Royals will play their last league stage match against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on Sunday.
