Aakash Chopra, a former player for India, has questioned the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and the lineup they selected for their IPL 2025 matchup with the Gujarat Titans (GT). He pointed out that the Hyderabad-based team’s bowling assault only featured one front-line spinner.
On Sunday, April 6, in Match 19 of the IPL 2025 at Hyderabad, SRH set GT a target of 153 runs. With seven wickets and 20 deliveries remaining, the visitors reached the goal and moved up to second place in the standings.
The former India opener, in a video posted on his YouTube account ‘Aakash Chopra,’ commended Washington Sundar (49 off 29) for giving GT a game-changing knock and suggested that SRH may be considering if they ought to have had another specialist spinner in addition to Zeeshan Ansari.
“They (SRH) got wickets with the new ball. Pat Cummins and Mohammad Shami picked up a wicket apiece, but Washi came suddenly from a very unknown quarter. Washington Sundar’s story is very interesting. Washi didn’t bowl a single over. When he got to bat, he scored 49. How well he batted.”
Aakash Chopra
“They (GT) were stuck at the start, and then came a Simarjeet (Singh) over where 20 runs were scored – two fours and two sixes. Before that, Shubman Gill had hit two fours off Shami’s last two balls. Suddenly, four fours and two sixes in eight balls, and the game turned from there. After that, you realized you didn’t have spinners. You don’t play spinners at all.”
Aakash Chopra
The former cricket player who is now a broadcaster pointed out that Kamindu Mendis is not a very accurate or potent spinner and that SRH should have used either Rahul Chahar or Adam Zampa.
“Your Rahul Chahar is sitting outside. You are not giving chances to Adam Zampa. You go with just Zeeshan Ansari. Kamindu Mendis is an ambidextrous genius, but the truth is that when someone bowls with both hands, he doesn’t have that much turn and accuracy, and it was found out.”
Aakash Chopra
Despite going wicketless, Zeeshan Ansari was comparatively frugal, giving up just 33 runs in his four overs. The other spinners that SRH tried, Kamindu Mendis and Abhishek Sharma, both failed to take a wicket and conceded 30 runs in their two overs.
“This is the sign of a true leader” – Aakash Chopra lauds Shubman Gill’s knock in GT’s IPL 2025 win vs SRH
Sherfane Rutherford’s scorching knock during the Gujarat Titans’ chase and Shubman Gill’s perseverance in leading his team to victory were both commended by Aakash Chopra in the same video.
“Washi got out. Sherfane Rutherford came and sent a ball to the Hussain Sagar Lake. How well he hits. He is also outstanding. However, Shubman Gill, a run chase where there were chances of things going awry. However, he drank his ego, played properly, and stayed till the end. This is the sign of a true leader.”
Aakash Chopra
Shubman Gill hit nine fours to score an undefeated 61 off 43 deliveries. In his undefeated 16-ball 35, Sherfane Rutherford hit a huge six and six fours.
