Aakash Chopra Named The Opening Players For India In South Africa: On Monday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming 3-match Test series against South Africa, which will kickstart from December 26.
While vice-captain Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul made a return to the squad after missing the two Tests against New Zealand, on the other hand, the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill, and Axar Patel were missing from the squad as they are currently undergoing rehabilitation.
With Rohit and KL Rahul both back in the team, India’s opening combination has become one of the most talked-about topics on social media. Also, there is Mayank Agarwal in the squad, who recently impressed one and all with his heroics with the bat as he scored 152 and 62 runs in two innings of the second Test match against New Zealand.
Several cricketers and experts have come up with their opinions on the matter. The latest one to join the debate is former Indian batter Aakash Chopra, who said that Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul Dravid should open the innings for team India and feels that Mayank Agarwal should wait. He said:
“The duo of R-R (Rohit and Rahul). Mayank Agarwal has certainly raised his stocks but he’ll have to wait. Rohit and Rahul will continue as they did extremely well in England. I hope that they’ll do well,”
He added:
“If you want to win the series in South Africa, the openers will be key. There are some issues in the middle-order which are likely to remain. But, if the openers do well, India’s job will get much easier,”
Chopra also talked about the seniors Ajinkya Rahan and Cheteshwar Pujara, who are going through a rough patch in the Test format. Chopra was asked if the veterans would find a place in the playing XI. Responding to this, Aakash Chopra said:
“Cheteshwar Pujara will retain his spot in the playing XI. If you look at some his recent knocks, he has scored some runs. I’m rooting for Cheteshwar Pujara.”
He added:
“I’m not sure about Ajinkya Rahane. If Virat Kohli decides to go with the same composition — 5 batters, 5 bowlers and a wicketkeeper in Pant — i don’t see Rahane in the playing XI. I don’t think we can drop Shreyas Iyer. I’m also considering Hanuma Vihari. I’ll choose performance over reputation at this moment,”
India’s Test squad:
Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Mohd. Shami, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Shardul Thakur, Md. Siraj
Also Read: Aakash Chopra Explained Why Rohit Sharma Replaced Virat Kohli As ODI Captain
