"Shake well before use" - Aakash Chopra on Rahul Tripathi's pre-ball movements in his 'fighting' knock in SRH's IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 win vs RR

Aakash Chopra has praised SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) batter Rahul Tripathi for playing a fighting knock in his side's IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 win against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). He noted that the right-hander shakes his body as a pre-delivery ritual before launching an attack on the bowlers.

SRH set RR a 176-run target after being asked to bat first in Chennai on Friday, May 24. The IPL 2016 champions then restricted Sanju Samson and company to 139/7 to register a 36-run win and book a spot in the final against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the same venue two days later.

Reflecting on SRH's batting in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra lauded Tripathi for playing an enterprising knock after Trent Boult had dismissed Abhishek Sharma in the first over.

"When they came to bat first, Abhishek Sharma scored 12 runs in the first over but got out. Trent Boult and wickets in the first over is going differently. GST is not charged as consistently as he gets batters out. He didn't take one or two but three wickets. Travis Head was playing slowly but didn't get out. Rahul Tripathi played well in the middle," he said (1:45).

"When you see Rahul Tripathi's batting, the way he moves, a voice comes from your heart at times - Shake well before use. It's written on top of many things. It seems like it sets perfectly on Rahul Tripathi because he shakes his body and then plays very well. It was a fighting and attacking knock, a short but important knock," the former India opener added.

Tripathi struck five fours and two sixes in his 15-ball 37. He dominated his 42-run second-wicket partnership with Travis Head (34 off 28), who was virtually a spectator at the other end.

---

"He is brilliant" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's Heinrich Klaasen

Heinrich Klaasen top-scored for SRH with a 34-ball 50. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra also praised Heinrich Klaasen for scoring a valuable half-century and showcasing his unique hitting ability against spin.

"After that, a good knock came from Heinrich Klaasen. He is brilliant. What a guy, how well he plays. Does anyone play spin better than him? He hits full balls for sixes off the back foot. If you pitch further up, he hits straight. If Trent Boult bowls straight, he hits a flat six," he elaborated.

While noting that Nitish Kumar Reddy and Abdul Samad didn't live up to expectations, the cricketer-turned-commentator appreciated Shahbaz Ahmed for taking SRH to a fighting total.

"He scored a fifty and took his team to a total from where they could have fought. Nitish Reddy and Abdul Samad were very disappointing because you were expecting that they would eventually score runs. Shahbaz Ahmed scored a few runs and took the team beyond 170," Chopra observed.

While Reddy scored five runs off 10 balls, Samad was bowled by Avesh Khan for a golden duck. Shahbaz scored a run-a-ball 18 after coming in as an impact player and subsequently delivered a spell of 3/23 in four overs to walk away with the Player of the Match award.