Rajasthan Royals have quantity but lack quality in their bowling department: Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the Rajasthan Royals (RR) have plenty of bowling options in their squad for IPL 2020, but lack the requisite quality apart from Jofra Archer and Shreyas Gopal. He made this observation while talking about the weaknesses of the inaugural IPL champions in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

Aakash Chopra mentioned that the Rajasthan Royals have plenty of weaknesses because of the lack of quality Indian players in their lineup.

"They have a long list of weaknesses. That is because they are searching for Indian players."

The renowned commentator hopes that Yashasvi Jaiswal gets to play as an opener in the Rajasthan Royals team in IPL 2020, but said that he lacks experience at the highest level.

"You will get Yashasvi Jaiswal as an opener, hopefully he plays but he is a young kid who would be playing for the first time."

#IPL2020 : "#YashasviJaiswal An Exciting Player For Future", #RobinUthappa Backs #RajasthanRoyals Youngsterhttps://t.co/tpMP7tpdIa

— ABP News (@ABPNews) September 12, 2020

He observed that Sanju Samson is probably the only established Indian batsman in the Rajasthan Royals lineup, with even Robin Uthappa likely to bat lower down the order and not as an opener.

"Sanju Samson of course at No.3 but after that there is a question mark on the Indian middle-order batsmen. Robin Uthappa will have to play at a different number, he will not be playing in his natural opening position."

Aakash Chopra pointed out that Riyan Parag is a good player, but said that he is still young and is unlikely to get the opportunity to bat up the order.

Check the IPL points table 2020 here.

"Riyan Parag is good but he is also a kid. He should actually be batting higher up the order but he will not get that opportunity."

He concluded that the absence of quality Indian batsmen in the Rajasthan Royals squad could hamper the franchise a lot, considering that the pitches are also likely to assist the spinners in the latter half of the tournament.

"So I see the lack of Indian batting powerhouse as a problem because eventually pitches are going to turn. And at time you will need quality pedigreed Indian batsmen, which they don't have."

---

Aakash Chopra on the lack of quality in the Rajasthan Royals bowling lineup

Shreyas Gopal had stood out for Rajasthan Royals as a bowler in IPL 2019

Aakash Chopra highlighted the lack of quality in the Rajasthan Royals bowling attack as their other weakness, with Jofra Archer and Shreyas Gopal the only potent threats for any opposition team.

"Second problem is their bowling department. In the bowling department, other than Jofra Archer and Shreyas Gopal, they have quantity but lack quality."

The 42-year-old pointed out that none of the Indian seam bowlers in the Rajasthan Royals team - Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Aaron - are renowned for their bowling at the death or in the powerplay.

"Because if you see fast bowlers, they have Ankit Rajpoot, Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Aaron. They are bowlers but none of them are either a gun death bowler or a gun bowler in the powerplay. So they have Jofra in their fast bowling, but what about the others."

The former KKR player added that none of the spinners apart from Shreyas Gopal are likely to trouble the opposition batsmen too much.

"If you see the spin department, Shreyas Gopal is good but other than him Mayank Markande, Rahul Tewatia and a lot of others. But none of them are that good."

Aakash Chopra signed off by iterating that the Rajasthan Royals' bowling lineup and lack of Indian batting are the weaknesses for the franchise in IPL 2020.

"So I feel that the bowling department is a little weak and the lack of Indian batsmen is their weakness."

Shreyas Gopal was the standout bowler for Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2019. The Karnataka leg-spinner scalped 20 wickets last season, at an excellent average of 17.35 along with a decent economy rate of 7.22.

#DidYouKnow: Shreyas Gopal is the first bowler to dismiss @imVkohli and @ABdeVilliers17 in a match on 3 occasions in @IPL ?Shreyas Gopal became the 16th bowler to to claim hattrick in @IPL. Read full story: https://t.co/1o0bYRZFYM (Stats:Pervez Qaiser; Images: BCCI) pic.twitter.com/O9dVhPzM1m

— Outlook Magazine (@Outlookindia) May 1, 2019

While Jofra Archer accounted for 11 wickets last year and was extremely economical, Jaydev Unadkat proved to be a bit of a letdown. The Saurashtra left-arm seamer's 10 wickets came at a below-par average of 39.80, and he also leaked an average of 10.66 runs per over.