Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra shared concerns regarding Lucknow Super Giants’ captain Rishabh Pant’s form after they suffered an eight-wicket loss against Punjab Kings at Lucknow on Tuesday.
Pant was dismissed after scoring only two runs after he could not put a loose delivery away and was caught at short fine-leg. Glenn Maxwell continued his dominance against the left-hander, dismissing him for the third time in T20s.
Pant has returned with scores of 0, 15, and 2 in the ongoing IPL 2025 and he hasn’t been able to lead from the front.
Chopra noted that Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, and Abdul Samad played decently for LSG but Pant’s form is a concern.
“Abdul Samad, Ayush Badnoi and Nicholas Pooran played decently, and Aiden Markram also played decently for some time, but the runs didn’t come from Rishabh Pant’s bat once again. It was an ordinary ball. It was a half-tracker. He pulled it and the catch went to Yuzi Chahal’s hands behind the wickets,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
While Aiden Markram scored 28 runs, Nicholas Pooran continued his good show with a 44-run knock.
“Aiden Markram was batting well. He played a few good shots, but then he also got out. After that, Nicholas Pooran is the lone guy. Let’s be honest, he is carrying the entire team on his shoulders. He is in that kind of form. The Orange Cap is on his head, and he is batting that well too. He played with an excellent mix of aggression and caution,” he elaborated.
Yuzvendra Chahal was able to end Pooran’s stay at the crease, outsmarting the left-hander with a wide delivery and had him caught at long-off.
“He (Pooran) fell prey to Yuzi Chahal in the end. It’s an attribute of Yuzi Chahal that he doesn’t bowl the ball in one line. He either bowls very wide or towards the legs. He is a maverick. He is a magician. It seems like a string is tied to the ball, that it would go in or out with a string. The ball becomes like a puppet,” Chopra said while praising the leg-spinner.
Chopra noted that LSG could not post a par score on the board despite contributions from Ayush Badoni (41) and Abdul Samad (27).
“Ayush Badnoi batted well for sure. He hit one or two excellent shots over cover. I think he hit Lockie Ferguson over cover, that was beautiful. Abdul Samad also hit a few sixes, but the runs weren’t enough,” Chopra observed.
LSG will next take on Mumbai Indians at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Friday.
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