Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has predicted a bold change for Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of their final home game of the season at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium against the Gujarat Titans. Ashwin suggested that the Bengaluru outfit might drop all-rounder Romario Shepherd in favor of a specialist overseas batter or a bowler, with the likes of Jacob Bethell and Jacob Duffy being the likely options. RCB started their season with three wins on the trot, but two defeats in their last three encounters could force the side to make changes to their playing combination.
“I have a feeling that Romario Shepherd won’t play. I have a feeling that they will go with Jacob Duffy, or a batter like Jacob Bethell. But RCB are looking quite strong; they have the batting, and the bowling looks strong,” R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
RCB lost at home to Delhi Capitals in their last outing after Shepherd failed to defend 15 runs in the final over. However, Ashwin backed RCB to bounce back against GT.
“I want to see how Rashid Khan bowls in this game, because the last two games have been slightly under Rashid’s standard. But in this game, RCB look very strong. So, I will go with RCB to win,” he added.
RCB has an upper hand over GT in the powerplay while batting, bolstered by the presence of Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, and skipper Rajat Patidar-a formidable top order that looks to exert pressure back on bowlers even if wickets fall. RCB has a powerplay strike rate of 175 this season, compared to GT’s 135, according to ESPNcricinfo.
RCB has hit 34 sixes in the powerplay, the most by any team this season; GT, on the other hand, has hit just eight, the fewest in the league.
Ashwin’s RCB Predicted XI vs GT: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duff/Jacob Bethell
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