"How can a team having Rachael Haynes and Mithali Raj have such poor thinking?" - Aakash Chopra on Gujarat Giants' issues ahead of DC clash

Aakash Chopra feels Gujarat Giants' questionable thinking is responsible for their dismal run in the Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 thus far.

The Giants will lock horns with the Delhi Capitals at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Thursday, March 16. Sneh Rana and Co. have registered just one win in the tournament thus far and a loss in tonight's game will leave them on the verge of elimination from the playoff race.

On the "AakashVani" show on JioCinema, Chopra questioned the Gujarat Giants' think tank, which comprises stalwarts like Rachael Haynes and Mithali Raj, saying:

"Gujarat have multi-fold problems. You are firstly surprised. How can a team having Rachael Haynes and Mithali Raj have such poor thinking? I am talking about the thinking and not the approach, playing style or performances."

The former Indian opener criticized the Giants' flip-flop between Sophia Dunkley and Laura Wolvaardt, explaining:

"It just seems cluttered. Sophia Dunkley was in good form, she was the Player of the Match, and you dropped her. You play Laura Wolvaardt with confidence in the next match, you feel she will do good, but you drop her when she gets out and bring back Sophia. Will you change in the next match again?"

Dunkley was dropped after she smashed the fastest half-century of the tournament to accommodate Wolvaardt in the playing XI. With the latter falling cheaply in her first outing, the England opener was recalled to the side for their last game but ended up getting dismissed for a golden duck.

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"You should move S Meghana aside" - Aakash Chopra wants the Gujarat Giants to open with Sophia Dunkley and Laura Wolvaardt

S Meghana has endured a poor WPL 2023 thus far. [P/C: WPL/Twitter]

Aakash Chopra wants Dunkley and Wolvaardt to open the batting for the Gujarat Giants in Thursday's game, stating:

"If you have to do anything, I feel you should move S Meghana aside and open with Laura and Sophia today. Harleen Deol is batting well. You can expect good batting from her. Ashleigh Gardner as a batter hasn't really done well, so that has been one of their problems."

The renowned commentator added that the Mithali Raj-mentored side's flawed auction strategy has compromised their campaign, elaborating:

"You can play Kim Garth if you want. It was slightly surprising that Mithali's team didn't invest in Indian players. Sneh Rana and Harleen Deol are two big Indian names but other than that, they don't have an impressive Indian name in this team. You played Mansi Joshi in the last match but didn't give her even a single over."

Chopra concluded by saying that the Gujarat Giants' underwhelming performances have left him a little disappointed. While acknowledging that the bottom-placed team have been troubled by injuries, he pointed out that their dismal run cannot only be attributed to that.

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