"Play Tilak Varma if he is available"

Aakash Chopra wants the Mumbai Indians (MI) to field Tilak Varma in their batting XI in their IPL 2023 clash against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) if he is fit and available.

The two sides will square off in Lucknow on Tuesday, May 16. Varma, who has smashed 274 runs in nine games at an excellent average of 45.67 and an equally impressive strike rate of 158.38, has missed MI’s last three games due to a hamstring injury.

While previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted Tilak Varma’s importance to the Mumbai Indians, explaining:

“Play Tilak Varma if he is available. You can drop an overseas batter or a bowler, you can drop anyone because neither Cameron Green nor Tristan Stubbs nor anyone else you might want to play will be helpful on this pitch.”

The cricketer-turned-commentator opined that only Indian batters can win the crunch game for MI, stating:

“Ishan Kishan, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Nehal Wadhera, Tilak Varma – these are the guys who will win you the game if you win the match. It is important for Mumbai to win because if they win this match and the next as well, only one team can reach 18 points, that is Team Mumbai.”

The Mumbai Indians are currently placed third in the IPL 2023 points table with 14 points to their credit. However, positive results in their last two league games against the Lucknow Super Giants and the SunRisers Hyderabad will guarantee them a top-two finish and a place in Qualifier 1.

“Play Hrithik Shokeen here” – Aakash Chopra on the Mumbai Indians’ bowling attack

Hrithik Shokeen has played six games in IPL 2023 thus far. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra wants the Mumbai Indians to play Hrithik Shokeen in Tuesday’s game, reasoning:

“Mumbai will have to play spin. Play Hrithik Shokeen here because there are a lot of left-handers in the opposition team. So you can play Hrithik Shokeen and think about Raghav Goyal.”

The former Indian opener concluded by opining that the visiting team’s seamers are unlikely to be successful in Lucknow, saying:

“Kumar Kartikeya has done well. But I would still be keen to get Hrithik Shokeen or Raghav Goyal, take the ball away, and there is no doubt that Piyush Chawla is bowling well. You will play fast bowling for sure but it will not be very helpful.”

Piyush Chawla, with 19 scalps, is the Mumbai Indians’ most successful bowler in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League. While Kumar Kartikeya and Shokeen have picked up five and three wickets respectively in six games apiece, Raghav Goyal went wicketless in the only match he played.

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