Ravindra Jadeja’s bat has been silent in IPL 2022. Pic: IPLT20.COM
Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra feels Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ravindra Jadeja’s struggle with the bat in IPL 2022 is a clear indication of him feeling the pressure of the captaincy.
Chennai have won only two of their seven IPL 2022 matches so far and are languishing in ninth position in the points table. On an individual level, Jadeja has scored just 91 runs at an average of 18.20 and a strike rate of 119.74.
Following their thrilling last-ball win over the Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai will now take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday. Previewing the clash on his YouTube channel, Chopra opened up about Jadeja’s poor form and said:
“Jadeja is struggling with the bat, which is not a good sign. It is very important for him to perform with the willow because, if he keeps failing in the same manner, things will get extremely tough for the Chennai Super Kings. The pressure of captaincy is clearly showing on him.”
Apart from his struggles with the willow, Jadeja has also been uncharacteristically poor on the field. He dropped two relatively simple catches against Mumbai. Thankfully, the missed opportunities didn’t come back to haunt Chennai.
“There are great chances of him succeeding” – Aakash Chopra on CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad
Chennai Super Kings opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has played just one innings of note in IPL 2022 thus far. He scored 73 against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in a losing cause but has failed in all the other matches.
According to Chopra, though, the CSK batter has a great chance of doing well against PBKS. The 44-year-old explained:
“Ruturaj Gaikwad has done well in only one match. But there are great chances of him succeeding in this match because the opposition has the likes of Vaibhav Arora. Of course, Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep are there, but the bowling is strictly okay. Gaikwad didn’t score last time against Punjab, but things could be different this time.”
Keeping aside Gaikwad’s form, Chopra feels CSK have done well with the bat and reasoned:
“Robin Uthappa is batting well. I am not able to understand Ambati Rayudu’s batting order, but he has also scored runs. Shivam Dube too has made some crucial contributions.”
Chennai registered their second win in IPL 2022 by beating Mumbai. Chasing 156 for victory, CSK got home, courtesy of MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 28 off 13 balls.
