"Surprising that last over was given to a spinner" - Aakash Chopra baffled by Hardik Pandya and GT's tactics vs RR

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya probably made a mistake by letting the spinners bowl at the backend of their game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

Despite tottering at 4/2 after three overs, the Royals somehow managed to chase down the target of 178 and win with four balls to spare. While Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer were simply sensational, Chopra reckons the Titans could have had a better chance had they backed their death-overs specialists like Mohit Sharma.

In a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Aakash Chopra had to say about the Gujarat Titans' bowling changes in the last five overs:

"It was surprising that the last over was given to a spinner. Out of last five overs, three were of spin. This is strange because the ball was getting wet because of dew. Although there might have been a match-up with Hetmyer probably not hitting spinners as much as the pacers, but the ball was wet."

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"It just seems like Hardik Pandya is trying too much" - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra also opined on Hardik Pandya's dismissal against the Royals as the latter tried to smash the spinners out of the park only to perish in the process. Chopra feels the GT skipper needs to give himself a bit of time at the crease before he takes the ultra-attacking approach.

On Pandya's poor form, the former cricketer stated:

"Hardik Pandya hasn't been having a great season with the bat. It just seems like he is trying too much too soon. This is the same that we used to speak about Rohit Sharma. He tried to dominate the bowlers but played one shot too many and was dismissed."

Hardik and Co. will look back at the game against RR as one they should have won, given that at one stage the Royals needed 112 runs from 48 balls.