"Why did Trent Boult bowl only 2 overs?" - Aakash Chopra on Rajasthan Royals' IPL 2024 loss to Gujarat Titans

Aakash Chopra reckons the Rajasthan Royals (RR) underutilized Trent Boult with the ball in their IPL 2024 loss to the Gujarat Titans (GT).

The Royals set the Titans a 197-run target in Jaipur on Wednesday, April 10. Although the visitors seemed to be behind the eight ball in the initial part of their chase, they eventually won the game by three wickets off the final ball.

While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned the Rajasthan Royals' utilization of their bowlers, particularly Boult.

"If you are bowling with a dry ball, then if you have scored enough runs, you should have the bowling to defend it. The truth is that Rajasthan have the bowling. They didn't play Nandre Burger but despite that, they have the bowling. Keshav Maharaj made his debut and they got him to bowl only two overs," he said (10:45).

"Why did Trent Boult bowl only two overs? I didn't understand that. Two overs, eight runs, and he bowled only two overs. Why? Keshav gave 16 runs in his two overs, so totally only 24 runs went in those four overs. Trent Boult could have been given overs in the middle but you didn't do that. You went towards spinners," the former India opener added.

While praising Kuldeep Sen for his three-wicket haul, Chopra noted that both he and Avesh Khan were found wanting in the end.

"I will praise Kuldeep Sen because he picked up three wickets initially. However, towards the end, he succumbed to pressure. Avesh Khan was also bowling a decent over but then he conceded a boundary. Rajasthan have themselves to blame because you should have won this match after reaching beyond 190," he elaborated.

The Titans needed 35 runs off the final two overs. While Sen (3/41 in four overs) conceded 20 runs in the penultimate over, Avesh (1/48 in four overs) gave away 17 runs in the final over, including a four off the last ball.

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"When Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag play, they play special" - Aakash Chopra lauds Rajasthan Royals duo's partnership

Sanju Samson (left) and Riyan Parag added 130 runs for the third wicket. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Reflecting on the Rajasthan Royals' batting, Aakash Chopra lauded Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag for bailing them out of initial trouble.

"Gujarat made a good start. They dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, so the job should have become easy but that wasn't the case, because when Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag play, they play special. The good thing you see in the captain is that he plays differently," he said (11:30).

The reputed commentator particularly appreciated the Rajasthan Royals skipper's destructive game against short balls.

"When he plays, he plays extremely well. You can say elegant in capital letters, he looks so beautiful while playing. He rarely hits the full deliveries but destroys the short ball. He played shots all around the park. Don't bowl him short balls," Chopra elaborated.

Chopra praised Parag for playing a fiery knock, with the duo's cause helped by the Gujarat Titans players' largesse.

"Riyan Parag was at the other end. Don't consider him a spark, the guy is absolute fire. He is very, very good. He took the game deep but they got a plethora of lives before that. It seemed that the Gujarat players ate Dal Baati Churma and forgot to wash their hands," he noted.

Parag joined Samson in the middle when the Rajasthan Royals were reduced to 42/2 after 5.4 overs. While the former smashed a 48-ball 76, the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter scored an unbeaten 68 off 38 deliveries.