'It is baffling' - Aakash Chopra, Mark Boucher unhappy with SRH's team selection after loss to Gujarat Titans

The Sunrisers Hyderabad suffered another disappointing defeat as they lost to Gujarat Titans by seve wickets in a home clash on April 6. Former cricketers Mark Boucher and Aakash Chopra gave their insights over the performance of the Pat Cummins-led team as they have continued to struggle this season.

The last season’s finalists have now lost their fourth game in a row and are now placed firmly at the bottom of the barrel. Chopra and Boucher expressed their dissastisfaction over the decisions made by skipper Cummins. Boucher criticised the SRH batters’ approach, saying that they lacked confidence and completely failed to build partnerships.

“I think they knew that the wicket they were playing on this evening wasn’t the same as what they've been exposed to before. You could see they were trying to play a little more responsibly. It looked like there was a lack of confidence in their batting line-up as well. Every time they wanted to have a go, a wicket fell,” Boucher said on JioHotstar.

“There was never really a partnership where they could kick on — I think that’s where they ended up being 15–20 runs short. Or maybe 15–20 runs wouldn’t have been enough — maybe they were 30–40 runs short. But yes, it just didn’t suit their style of cricket, playing on this particular pitch tonight,” Boucher added.

They’re playing with only one proper spinner: Aakash Chopra

Meanwhile, Chopra not only criticised the batting unit but also the decisions made regarding the bowlers. He mentioned that the SRH batting unit is mostly effective on a flat surfaces, while the pitch in Hyderabad has been on the slower side this season, which does not suit the aggressive style of the batters.

Chopra also gave his opinion on the bowlers who have been left out, mentioning the names of Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa, who he feels could be more effective on such surfaces due to their experience.

“They don’t really have a drafter in their side because they probably thought they don’t need drafters anymore. But suddenly, this pitch — which produced a 280-plus score just a couple of weeks ago — now offers 150, and we’re discussing them being just 10–15 runs shy. So, 160 could’ve been enough if there was no dew and they had a better spin bowling attack. This pitch has changed. The square is playing differently, and therefore, you need different players with different skill sets. You make this team bat on a cemented surface, and they’ll be head and shoulders above the rest. But on this kind of surface, their accumulated batting isn't likely to succeed,” Chopra said.

“I don’t understand why Rahul Chahar is warming the bench. They’re playing with one proper spinner — Zeeshan Ansari, an uncapped Indian player. Rahul Chahar is an India-capped player, Adam Zampa, an international-quality leg-spinner, is also available, but they’re not playing either of them. That, is slightly baffling,” he concluded.