Aakash Chopra is ‘disappointed but not surprised’ by Yuzvendra Chahal’s omission from the ODI World Cup. Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, and Sanju Samson were among the Indian players that did not make the World Cup roster.
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra pondered on India’s 15-man selection for the highly awaited 2023 One-Day International World Cup. The cricketer-turned-broadcaster expressed sadness at spinner Yuzvendra Chahal’s absence from the squad, but said that he was not’surprised’.
Notably, the roster includes a lone wrist spinner in Kuldeep Yadav as well as left-arm spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.
Also Visit: Faheem Ashraf returns to the Pakistan squad for the match against Bangladesh.
Aakash stressed the importance of possessing an off-spinner against heavyweight sides like Australia
“I’m not surprised by the team selection, but I’m disappointed that they didn’t take Yuzvendra Chahal into account. ” We can’t play Jadeja and Axar at the same time. There will be times when you face teams with a lot of left-handed batsmen, such as Australia, and having an off-spinner option becomes critical. Unfortunately, the squad doesn’t have that right now, and it appears that they haven’t given it any attention. “I hope this decision doesn’t come back to haunt them,” Aakash stated on JioCinema.
Aakash also discussed team India’s batting depth and the need of a no. 9 player being able to play vital knocks, mentioning Pakistan and England as examples. He went on to say that having players like Jadeja and Hardik in the lineup would assist with batting order depth. But a “third” all-rounder would be a “luxury.”
“Ideally, you want your No. 9 player to bat a little bit.” This is a skill that teams like Pakistan and England posses. Our issue is that our Nos. 9, 10, and 11 can’t bat at a high enough level to inspire confidence. According to Aakash, those places will be filled by Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav.
“We also need a strong No. 8, which we have in Shardul Thakur.” Why do you need a batter at number eight? When you have a player or two in your top six whose form is questionable. That’s when you need some depth. Having four proper bowlers and playing Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya as two all-rounders has merit. It should work with two all-rounders, with a third as a luxury,” he continued.
In terms of their campaign, India will face five-time champion Australia on October 8 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. According to the new schedule, the high-voltage India-Pakistan match would be played on October 14 at Ahmedabad’s renowned Narendra Modi Stadium.
