"The problem we were discussing has come to the fore" - Aakash Chopra on GT's IPL 2025 loss vs LSG

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Gujarat Titans' (GT) overdependence on their top three was exposed slightly in their IPL 2025 loss to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He pointed out that none of their top three batters has scored a half-century in two of their last three games.

LSG set GT a 236-run target in Match 64 of IPL 2025 in Ahmedabad on Thursday, May 22. Although Sai Sudharsan (21 off 16), Shubman Gill (35 off 20) and Jos Buttler (33 off 18) made decent contributions, none of them played a substantial knock, as the home team was restricted to 202/9, losing the game by 33 runs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener noted that GT's much-debated overreliance on their top three became evident in their IPL 2025 clash against LSG.

"None of their top three has scored a fifty in two of their last three games. It happened against Mumbai, and it has happened here now against Lucknow. So, the problem we were discussing has come to the fore. The wound is being scratched, and that is going to be a bit of a problem," he said (10:10).

On the flip side, Chopra opined that Sherfane Rutherford and Shahrukh Khan being among the runs should hold the franchise in good stead.

"However, the positive thing was that both Sherfane Rutherford and Shahrukh Khan were seen in form. As soon as Kusal Mendis comes, he will bat at No. 3, so the No. 4 and No. 5 roles become very important. Shahrukh Khan scored a fifty. He has the ability to hit big shots, and that's why he was retained. Sherfane Rutherford also played well until he was there," he observed.

Shahrukh Khan smashed 57 runs off 29 deliveries in GT's IPL 2025 clash against LSG. He added 86 runs for the fourth wicket with Sherfane Rutherford (38 off 22), but the duo couldn't take their side over the line.

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"Rahul Tewatia hasn't scored runs" - Aakash Chopra on GT's other issues after IPL 2025 loss vs LSG

Rahul Tewatia has aggregated 69 runs at an average of 9.86 in 10 innings in IPL 2025. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rahul Tewatia's (2 off 3) failure is another issue for the Gujarat Titans heading into the IPL 2025 playoffs.

"However, there is another bad news. Rahul Tewatia hasn't scored runs. If you leave aside an odd match where he played a few good shots in the end, the entire season has been absolutely cold. Rahul Tewatia's season being cold is not good news. I hope he comes to the party. That is going to be a big question," he said (11:40).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that Rashid Khan has also been found wanting this season and was taken to the cleaners, especially by Mitchell Marsh, in Thursday's game.

"There is another concern. It is Rashid Khan's form. Rashid Khan has proved totally cold this year, and he bowled only two overs this time. 36 runs in two overs. Mitchell Marsh destroyed him. Where have we seen such an ineffective Rashid Khan? His bowling was so bad that he wasn't even given his four overs," Chopra observed.

Rashid Khan went wicketless and conceded 36 runs in two overs in GT's IPL 2025 clash against LSG. The Afghanistan spinner has picked up only eight wickets at an economy rate of 9.38 in 13 innings this season.