IPL 2022: "Too late in the day" - Aakash Chopra on whether Kane Williamson should shift in the batting order

Aakash Chopra feels the thought of changing Kane Williamson's batting spot is now "too late in the day" for SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). The former Indian batter thinks Hyderabad are now "stubborn" to not change a decision they made at the start of IPL 2022, saying it doesn't make any difference at this stage of the tournament anyway.

Williamson is in the middle of his worst IPL season with 199 runs at an average of 19.90 and an arguably unacceptable strike rate of 96.14. For context, SunRiser’s captain in IPL 2021, David Warner, was sacked and dropped for his average of 24.38 and strike rate of 107.73. Williamson's form has impacted the team directly, with the 2016 champions now struggling to make it to the playoffs for the second year running.

Many have suggested a shift to No. 3 or even No. 4 as a solution. But Chopra believes the SunRisers should stick with in-form Rahul Tripathi in that position and not stop backing Williamson with three games left in the league stage.

He told ESPNcricinfo:

"Too late in the day maybe. We all make a decision, stick with it then after some time gets stubborn, saying now I won't change it that's about it. And then if you are the captain and such a top-drawer batter, you say 'one more time'. He'll eventually score runs at some point whether it is at No. 3 or at No. 1, it won't make much of a difference."

Chopra added:

"I think now that you have given Rahul Tripathi a new role, let him play at No. 3. Abhishek Sharma is opening, let him do that. If Kane Williamson scores runs with them then it's great and if he doesn't then you have won games without him scoring as well. It's not like he has scored a truckload this season. I''ll say if you have come this far, why are you leaving his hand now?"

Williamson has played just 14 IPL matches at No. 4 but his average is a brilliant 53.20 - more than 10 points better than his aggregate as an opener. The New Zealand skipper has played six times at No. 3 with an average of 39.

---

SunRisers will exploit Knight Riders' short-ball weakness: Aakash Chopra

Chopra added that the SunRisers will head into their clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the MCA Stadium on Saturday, motivated to end their losing run. The reputed commentator said they'll be buoyed by Shreyas Iyer and Co.'s glaring weakness against short-balls, which will be exploited despite T Natarajan's absence. Chopra elaborated:

"Hyderabad will want to end the losing run... They'll back themselves. They started their campaign from this ground and it wasn't a good start against Rajasthan Royals. As for the short-ball ploy, no team has got out on short balls more than this team (Knight Riders). So you'll see that get exploited."

Chopra concluded by saying:

"Probably Umran Malik, who has had two ordinary games, might get back on track here as well. He can bowl bouncers at pace. Everyone will have to score runs, the captain included. Everyone will have to contribute. They are missing T Natarajan, there's no doubt about that."

The match will commence at 7:30 pm IST. You can catch the live proceedings here.