Former India batsman Virender Sehwag has pointed out a big mistake made by the Gautam Gambhir-led Lucknow Super Giants management: Sehwag reckoned dropping Quinton de Kock for Kyle Mayers was a move that wasn’t a good choice made by LSG in the Eliminator against Mumbai Indians in Chennai.
In the chase of 183, Kyle Mayers scored 18 runs off 13 balls and eventually, courtest of Akash Madhwal’s 5/5, LSG lost by 81 runs.
After the loss, LSG captain Krunal Pandya said that since Kyle Mayers had performed well earlier in the season in Chennai – Mayers had scored 53 off 22 against CSK in Chepauk – LSG went ahead with the West Indian over the South African.
This comment perhaps was even more baffling for Virender Sehwag, who was not impressed with the move made by Gautam Gambhir, Andy Flower, and Krunal Pandya of dropping de Kock for Mayers.
Virender Sehwag said that every game is a new game and past records don’t matter as much.
“Even I have a good record in Chennai as I hit 319. But it doesn’t mean that even today I will go out there and score. Current form also matters and I feel Lucknow shot themselves in their own foot (by dropping De Kock),” Virender Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
At the start of the season, since Quinton de Kock wasn’t available, Kyle Mayers took the opening position and hit two fifties in his first two knocks for LSG. So even when de Kock arrived in India, Mayers was preferred for about three-fourths of the league phase.
De Kock then got the chance and made a mark, scoring 143 runs in 4 innings. But come the Eliminator, LSG backed Mayers over de Kock.
Krunal Pandya, the LSG captain, said after the loss: “We were in a good position at one stage, but everything started (going wrong) when I played that shot, we should have played better cricket. That shot (his wicket) was not on, I completely take the blame for that. The ball was coming nicely on to the bat, we just had to bat better. We didn’t play good cricket after that strategic break. Quinton de Kock is a quality batter, but Mayers has a better record here, so we went ahead (in the playing XI) with him. Their batters bat really well against fast bowlers, so I thought of starting with spin against them.”
