IPL 2022: Every IPL team goes to the auctions with a specific mindset where it is important for them to choose the right combination of players that would suit their team perfectly and every individual would be fitting the big puzzle that the preceptors have in their mind.
Gujarat Titans were no exception to this either, as they swooped in a decent band of players where Jason Roy was earmarked for the opening role alongside Shubman Gill. Much to their surprise, Jason Roy just pulled out of the tournament citing his inability to be a part of the bio-bubble for so long.
Roy’s sudden departure from the tournament has left the Titans with a glaring gap at the top. The two viable options remaining for them will be either Wriddhimaan Saha or Matthew Wade.
Dissecting each option at a time, let us take a look at what they can bring to the table that would allow Gujarat Titans to fill up the void accordingly.
Wriddhimaan Saha has been a formidable moniker in T20 cricket, given his credentials and preceding displays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings. He is someone who can shift gears at will but at the same time, he has flirted with inconsistency way more than ever.
Especially in recent times, Saha has failed more frequently than he has brought out the big guns. Half of the time, he has been abandoned by his team, failing to win over their trust.
On top of that age has been a glaring factor for the Indian wicket-keeper. Hence, his presence doesn’t really allow the Titans to be worry-free in the upcoming editions of the tournament.
Now coming to Matthew Wade, he was a crucial element of the T20 World Cup-winning Australian team after he took out Shaheen Afridi in the semi-final.
However, once again, his contributions haven’t been as consistent as it should have. More importantly, he was dropped before he went all guns blazing at Afridi in the semi-final. He needs time to get settled that allows him to bring the big guns out.
Now opening the innings means that he will be a part of the powerplay. We are all aware of the fact that Shubman Gill isn’t as explosive as you want a T20 opener to be. Venkatesh Iyer took it upon himself almost single-handedly to destroy the oppositions. Gill needs time to settle down and then opens up.
If both Wade and Gill get silent, it will be quite a challenge for Gujarat Titans to break free from the initial slumber that can dent their campaign by a good deal.
This leaves them with another choice however, that may see them resorting to an untested Abhinav Sadarangani to open the innings for them.
If the Titans choose to go this young man to open the innings for them, it will be a tremendous ask from this youngster. It can go either way for the Titans where given the untested moniker he is, he can come up with figures like that of Venkatesh Iyer and Devdutt Padikkal wherein the other way is just too dark to discuss.
The Titans will have to move swiftly if they are to have any hope whatsoever to land another opener because the other batting options don’t really look too promising for them. They will have to rely heavily on individual brilliance than collective showdowns to get them delivered and with the departure of Jason Roy, they will be sitting ducks, waiting for the opposition bowlers to swarm over them in a heartbeat.
