Dasun Shanaka hasn’t lived up to even 1% of expectations: Virender Sehwag

“I’m not worried about the bowling too much. Coming to the batting, I am worried about Dasun Shanaka. Gujarat can play Odean Smith and Alzarri Joseph in place of him. Shanaka’s form has been disappointing. We had huge expectations from him and he hasn’t lived up to even 1% of them. The Titans should play (Abhinav) Manohor instead of Shanaka, as he is a batter who can smash sixes,” Sehwag said in a chat with Cricbuzz before GT’s Qualifier 2 clash with Mumbai Indians.

Shanaka has played 3 matches in the IPL and scored 9,0, 17 respectively.

Meanwhile, Akash Madhwal’s breathtaking bowling performance against Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator would have given five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians wings and they would be fancying their chances against defending champions Gujarat Titans.

Mumbai Indians, riding on magical figures of five for five produced by Madhwal at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday night, knocked out LSG from the race to the final with an 81-run win.

The massive MI victory was a warning to the rivals that they could lift their game according to the occasion even in the absence of star pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer and batting mainstay Tilak Varma.

Gujarat Titans, outclassed and outgunned in Qualifier 1 by Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings, will have one last chance to gather themselves up and put their best foot forward in familiar conditions here in order to qualify for their second IPL final on the trot.