"You are probably not helping but hurting your team" - Aakash Chopra on Devdutt Padikkal's knock in Rajasthan Royals' chase vs PBKS in IPL 2022

Aakash Chopra has highlighted that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) could have paid dearly for Devdutt Padikkal's slow knock during their run chase in Saturday (May 7) afternoon's IPL 2022 match against the Punjab Kings (PBKS).

Padikkal scored 31 runs off 32 balls when the Royals were chasing a 190-run target. However, the other RR batters took the attack to the PBKS bowlers as they won the match by six wickets with a couple of deliveries to spare.

Reflecting on the Rajasthan Royals' batting effort in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Padikkal's knock could have compromised their chase. He elaborated:

"Devdutt Padikkal - run-a-ball 31, which means if you are chasing a big total, you are probably not helping but hurting your team. Just that Shimron Hetmyer came, it is again the same story, why don't you send Hetmyer up the order?"

The cricketer-turned-commentator also questioned the Rajasthan Royals for not batting Shimron Hetmyer ahead of Padikkal. Chopra reasoned:

"If Devdutt Padikkal is not opening, why at four, you can play him at five, it will not make any difference but if you give Hetmyer time, then he will hit. They (RR) don't play Hettie here and they (PBKS) don't play Liam (Livingstone) there, I don't know what this niyam (rule) is."

Hetmyer smashed an unbeaten 31 off 16 deliveries, a knock studded with three fours and two sixes. He strung together a 41-run partnership with Padikkal in which he was the principal contributor.

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"Yashasvi Jaiswal was absolutely brilliant" - Aakash Chopra on the start of the Rajasthan Royals chase

Yashasvi Jaiswal scored his first fifty of IPL 2022 [P/C: iplt20.com]

Speaking about the start of the Rajasthan Royals' chase, Aakash Chopra lauded Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler for giving them a flying start. He observed:

"When the chase started, Yashasvi Jaiswal was absolutely brilliant but before that Jos the boss, he went after Rabada in one over, he demolished him. Jos the boss got out else this big total would have been chased in 18 overs."

While highlighting Jaiswal's rags-to-riches story, the 44-year-old was slightly critical of Sanju Samson for throwing away his wicket once again. Chopra said:

"Yashasvi Jaiswal - I love this player. He used to look at the Wankhede lights from the Azad Maidan and think that he will play there one day. Now he is part of this team and gave a Man of the Match performance on this ground. Sanju Samson scored a quickfire 23 runs but one too many. Give yourself a little time Sanju."

Samson scored 23 runs off 12 balls before skying an attempted big shot off Rishi Dhawan's bowling. The Rajasthan Royals skipper has gotten off to starts in most of his innings in IPL 2022 but has crossed the fifty-run mark just twice thus far.