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Ahead of his side's Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), the Gujarat Titans head coach Aashish Kapoor spoke on plans to bring Jharkhand batter Kumar Kushagra in the playing XI, saying that he will be drafted when "something happens to the top three".
GT will be aiming to bounce back after a dissapointing loss to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their campaign opener when they take on Rajasthan Royals, powered by a solid pace attack and an ultra-attacking opening batting duo of Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium. During the pre-match presser, Aashish said about Kushagra's inclusion in the squad that he should be either opening or batting in the top three instead of making up for a weaker middle-order consisting of the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia and Glenn Phillips, who are short of runs and form. "100 per cent if something happens to the top three, he could come into the plans (Kumar Kushagra). But if Kumar Kushagra has got runs in domestic, he has got a batting opening or one down. So, would Kumar Kushagra again be useful batting at number 6? Where he has to go and get the big hits, is the question," he said. Kushagra played a crucial role in Jharkhand's maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title win last year, scoring 422 runs in 10 innings at an average of 60.28 and a strike rate of 161.68, including four fifties and a best score of 86*. He followed it with a solid Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, scoring 368 runs in six innings at an average of 73.60 and a strike rate of 102.50, with two centuries and a fifty. In the Ranji Trophy, he made 572 runs in 12 innings at an average of 59.71, including two centuries (a double century as well) and a fifty. Speaking on the debut of Rajasthan pacer Ashok Sharma, who had a breakout SMAT season with 22 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 15.63, with two four-fers, Aashish said that the bowler is a "terrific talent" and was not afraid of getting hit and wanted to bowl at any given point of the time. "I think he is a terrific talent. And it is one thing to be performing at domestic and to show that heart when you play against him in bigger matches, which we could see in the last game. He was not scared. Getting hit in T20, all big bowlers also get hit. He will learn with time," said Aashish on the Rajasthan bowler. "Even the most experienced bowlers are getting slapped all over the place in this format. But one thing with him was that he was not scared. He wanted to bowl at any given point in time. And that's the most important thing. And talent-wise, he obviously has the speed. He will learn. He is just a young kid. So I think he has a great future," he concluded. (ANI)
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