'Is that even a viable option?' - Aakash Chopra slams Rajasthan Royals' batting lineup after record defeat against Mumbai Indians
"We say it's a young man's game, fine. But if you put all of them together... but there's not a senior stateman in the side, is that even a viable option," said Chopra.
There were a lot of expectations from Rajasthan Royals prior to the commencement of IPL 2025. However, the campaign has been far from what was anticipated by experts and fans alike. RR's recent 100-run thumping at the hands of Mumbai Indians meant they became the second team to be knocked out of the tournament.
Former Indian cricketer, Aakash Chopra, likened the role of Jos Buttler till last season to that of Suryakumar Yadav in the Indian T20I side. He pointed out how RR were desperately lacking the presence of a seasoned batter in their side.
"I am thinking that once they decided to go with an all-Indian batting lineup, in which Samson was the most experienced and the oldest, with Shimron Hetmyer lower down the order - the only overseas batting option - is that even a viable option? We say it's a young man's game, fine but if you put all of them together - they're all talented, they're all skillful - but there's not a senior stateman in the side, something that Jos Buttler used to do till last year, is that even a viable option?" Chopra was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"Even in the Indian T20 team, you still need a Suryakumar Yadav to handle whoever else is around him, before and after him. Hardik Pandya comes in and gives you some stability," he added.
You do not have a senior guy to hold it together: Chopra
The renowned commentator remarked that relying solely on youngsters could either pay rich dividends or wholly backfire.
"This kind of performance almost represents what the youth can give you on a day when everything goes wrong. Of course, what Vaibhav Suryavanshi will give you is also what youth can give you one day. Still two very drastically opposite ends of performances can happen with this team, and you do not have a senior guy to hold it together," added Chopra.
Gilchrist slams RR for releasing Buttler after IPL 2025 exit
Other than Yashasvi Jaiswal who has looked impressive with 439 runs in 11 innings this season, none of the other RR batters have been consistent. More often than not, this has led to an underperformance which has hurt the team significantly in IPL 2025.
Download Our App