"The day is not far that he will be dropped" - Aakash Chopra on Manish Pandey throwing away his wicket during Lucknow Super Giants' innings

Aakash Chopra reckons Manish Pandey might be dropped by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the upcoming matches unless the Karnataka veteran starts contributing with the bat.

Pandey managed just 11 runs during LSG's innings in last night's IPL 2022 encounter against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). The 32-year-old has aggregated a meager 22 runs in his three innings of the tournament thus far.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra reflected on the Lucknow Super Giants batting effort. He said the following about Pandey:

"The wickets had fallen early. Pandey Ji was played at No. 4. He was batting well, he hit a six and a four and then threw away his wicket again. I am telling the day is not far that he will be dropped because Deepak Hooda is batting really well, Ayush Badoni is batting well, they have kept Jason Holder at No. 8, all of them will have to come up the order."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Pandey's place in the Lucknow Super Giants XI will become vulnerable once Marcus Stoinis is available for selection. Chopra observed:

"Someone will have to go once Marcus Stoinis comes. I feel Manish Pandey's days are really numbered if he continues batting like this. Maybe one more match because Gautam (Gambhir) is there, he will keep the continuity, but it's not too far."

Stoinis is part of the Australian limited-overs squad for the ongoing series against Pakistan. With the only T20I, the last match of the series, scheduled for Tuesday, the all-rounder should join the LSG camp over the next couple of days.

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"He was exceptional" - Aakash Chopra lauds Deepak Hooda's knock for Lucknow Super Giants

Deepak Hooda scored a blazing half-century for the Lucknow Super Giants [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra was full of praise for Deepak Hooda's enterprising knock against SRH. He elaborated:

"Deepak Hooda made 51 runs off 33 balls. He was exceptional. It was the partnership between him and Rahul but Deepak Hooda was playing better than even KL Rahul because he was aggressive, he was going after the bowlers."

While highlighting KL Rahul's class, the 44-year-old concluded by lauding the Lucknow Super Giants' lower middle-order for applying the finishing touches to their innings. Chopra explained:

"Then of course, form is temporary, KL Rahul is permanent. He scored another half-century, he showed once again why he is so important for this team. In the end, Ayush Badoni - 19 runs off 12 balls and Holder also hit a six. Krunal Pandya also scored six runs off three deliveries and you reached a fighting total."

Even though the Lucknow Super Giants lost the wicket of the well-set Hooda off the first ball of the 16th over, they still managed 55 runs in the last five overs. Their bowlers then rose to the occasion to help Rahul's side register a 12-run win.