NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer and commentator
Aakash Chopra
has expressed doubts about Sunrisers Hyderabad's chances of making it to the
IPL 2024
final if their star opener
Travis Head
fails to deliver with the bat.
SRH are set to face Rajasthan Royals in
Qualifier 2
in Chennai on Friday.
Travis Head has been a standout performer for SRH this season, amassing 533 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 199.62 in 13 innings.
However, the Australian opener has struggled in his last two outings, falling for ducks against left-arm seamers. With
Trent Boult
and potentially Nandre Burger in Rajasthan’s lineup, Head will face a stern test.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted the critical role of SRH's opening pair, Head and
Abhishek Sharma
, in their success.
"Their strength is their two openers. If these two openers start firing, no one is able to stop them. They turn the match in their favor in the first eight to 10 overs. Travis Head has gone down a little, gotten out two successive times, but you expect him to play well," Chopra stated.
Chopra noted that while Head’s overall numbers are impressive, his recent vulnerability against left-arm seamers could be exploited by Rajasthan.
"Trent Boult hasn't troubled him that much, although he could have got out last time. Riyan Parag dropped a catch. So they might try to trap Travis Head in the same way once again. However, he scored a fifty against this team last time. This team cannot progress without Travis Head scoring runs," Chopra added.
Abhishek Sharma, SRH's second-highest run-scorer this season with 470 runs at a strike rate of 207.04, also received praise from Chopra.
"My second player is Abhishek Sharma because he is batting very well. If Travis Head is scoring runs in the first innings, Abhishek Sharma is scoring runs in the second innings. If he keeps batting like this, you never know, he might play for India soon. Times are changing, the Indian selectors have already started focusing on the next generation," he elaborated.
Chopra emphasized the importance of SRH maintaining their momentum, pointing out other key players who could make a difference.
"The thing that goes in favor of this team is that, because of the type of cricket they have played, if they get on a roll, it's very difficult to bring them down. Rahul Tripathi is batting well now. Nitish Reddy plays very well against spin, scored 70-odd runs against this team last time, and hit massive sixes," he said.
However, Chopra also highlighted SRH’s potential weaknesses in the middle order.
"After that, they have Heinrich Klaasen. So Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, the two openers, then Heinrich Klaasen and two Indians in the middle. This is both a strength and a weakness because only Abdul Samad and Shahbaz Ahmed are left after that. So they are seen slightly stumbling there," he observed.
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