Aakash Chopra has questioned the Indian team management for frequently changing their opening combination.
Suryakumar Yadav batted at the top of the order alongside Rohit Sharma in the first T20I against the West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on Friday, July 29.
Aakash Chopra Criticizes Indian Management For Tinkering With The Opening Combination
The duo strung together a 44-run partnership as the Men in Blue set a challenging 191-run target for the hosts. The visitors went on to win the game by a handsome margin of 68 runs.
While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra, though, was critical of the Indian think tank for tinkering with the opening combination, elaborating: “What are you doing with the openers? It’s slightly baffling; why are they making opening musical chairs?
“My question to the selectors and team management is – Have you made opening a revolving door?”
Aakash Chopra asked why Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav’s batting positions were interchanged.
The cricketer-turned-commentator observed: “What is the difference between the last series and this one?
“Virat Kohli is not there; he was playing at No. 3, so you played Shreyas Iyer in his place. In the last series, you made Rishabh Pant open, and here you made Suryakumar Yadav open.”
Rishabh Pant opened with Rohit Sharma in the two T20Is against England. Although the dashing wicketkeeper-batter didn’t enjoy great success in those games, the decision to open with Suryakumar Yadav is questionable, as he’s unlikely to be a long-term option at the top of the order.
Aakash Chopra: India Already Has About 25 Odd New Opening Combinations
Aakash Chopra pointed out that India have already experimented a lot with their opening combination lately, and the position could see more changes going forward.
KL Rahul has not had an easy time in 2022, missing many matches for Team India due to injury and Covid-19. However, he showed his true class while playing for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL 2022, finishing second behind Jos Buttler in the highest run-scorer charts with 616 runs in 15 innings.
Having scored 419 runs in 13 innings during the year 2022, Ishan Kishan has been a standout performer for India, and Shubman Gill will have his work cut put to challenge Ishan Kishan for a place in the playing XI. Ruturaj Gaikwad finished IPL 2021 as the top scorer and was subsequently handed his India debut shortly after, but hasn’t lived upto expectations.
Virat Kohli, who has scored 3308 runs in 91 T20I innings, has scored 278 runs averaging 39.71 with 2 fifties as an opener in 8 innings.
He explained: “When KL Rahul comes, you will say we will make him open, then you might say you will make Virat Kohli open. Rohit is certain at one end; there is no doubt about that. Players miss so many matches these days, that you have already had 25-odd new opening combinations.”
Aakash Chopra added that the likes of Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan are also in the mix, especially in ODI cricket.
Shubman Gill won the Man of the match award for his unbeaten 98-run knock against West Indies in the third ODI, and he also was adjudged as the player of the series.
The 22-year-old contributed 205 runs in three games and has put his name in contention as one of the openers for India at the T20I World Cup 2022 although he is yet to play a T20I and isn’t in the squad for the ongoing T20I series.
The former player said: “Shubman Gill had destroyed West Indies in the ODI series, so he is also with you. You have Shikhar Dhawan in ODIs; you keep on lengthening the list; how many people will open? I didn’t understand it.”
Aakash Chopra, however, was all praise for Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav for giving India a flying start on Friday. While the Indian captain top-scored with a 44-ball 64, his Mumbai Indians teammate smashed 24 off 16.