“Let him open with Rahul Tripathi” - Aakash Chopra’s out-of-the-box suggestion for SRH for IPL 2022

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra has suggested that the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) could look to open both the batting and bowling with Washington Sundar during the IPL 2022 season. Chopra termed Sundar an impact player and urged the Hyderabad franchise to utilize him to the fullest.

Hyderabad will begin their IPL 2022 schedule by taking on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Tuesday.

With David Warner and Jonny Bairstow no longer part of the Hyderabad franchise, they will have to go in with a fresh opening pair. Sharing his out-of-the-box idea for SRH, Chopra said on his YouTube channel:

“I have an out-of-the-box suggestion for Hyderabad. They should open the bowling as well as batting with Washington Sundar. Let him open with Rahul Tripathi. I feel he suits the position and he has been picked for a high sum because he is an impact player. Washington Sundar lower down the order at 6,7,8 is wasted.”

Elaborating on Sundar’s skills with the willow, he added:

“He doesn’t have that kind of power, but he has the gift of timing. He can make use of pace and is a capable batter. If he is given the freedom to express himself in the first 6 overs, he could be phenomenal. SRH will also get a left-right combination at the top with Rahul Tripathi at the other end.”

Sundar, 22, represented the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) last season. He was purchased by the Hyderabad franchise at the auction for ₹8.75 crore.

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“If Markram, Kane and Pooran fire, SRH can do well in the batting department” – Aakash Chopra

Chopra added that Hyderabad have good talent in the batting department. He predicted that the franchise will do well if Kane Williamson, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran have a memorable season with the bat. He explained:

“One thing in SRH’s favor is that they have a lot of multi-faceted cricketers. They have Abhishek Sharma who can bat and bowl as well as Sundar. Markram can give you a few overs, Nicholas Pooran keeps as well. Abdul Samad is capable of hitting big strokes as well. If Markram, Kane, and Pooran fire, SRH can do well in the batting department.”

On bowling resources, the 44-year-old added that they look a bit thin with Rashid Khan gone and will need to make do with the players they have purchased. Chopra concluded:

“SRH don’t have Rashid anymore. They have picked Shreyas Gopal so he can play. Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar) and Natarajan can also feature in the XI. Marco Jansen can bat as well so that gives them some depth. Think Umran (Malik) might not fit in against RR with this combination but there’s a long season ahead.”

Hyderabad had a torrid IPL season last year. They finished last, managing to win only three out of their 14 matches.