Former cricketer and commentator Aakash Chopra has been very active on social media off lately, where he has been discussing IPL 2020, which is just around the corner. In his latest video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra picked a list of Indian batsmen who are likely to have a great season ahead.
In the video, Aakash Chopra picked six Indian cricketers who can set the floor on fire with their performance in IPL 2020 and also ranked them in order.
He began the list by picking Rishabh Pant at number 6 position in the list while explaining that Rishabh Pant plays spin well and is also likely to play at least a couple of memorable innings. He said:
“At No.6, I am keeping Rishabh Pant. I feel this year will be good for Rishabh Pant and it will also be important for him. He plays well against spin and will play a couple of innings that we will not be able to forget. And I really hope that Delhi sends him a little up the order.”
At number 5 position, Aakash Chopra picked the skipper of Mumbai Indians, who is also one of the most successful skippers in IPL history. Aakash Chopra said:
“At No.5, I am going with Rohit Sharma. He will surely score runs but I am not a 100% certain if he will be at the top of the highest run-scorers list. I like him as a player but you keep waiting for a season when he scores 600-700 runs for Mumbai Indians.”
Aakash Chopra also explained why Rohit is not in the top 4 in his list. He said:
“There is always an issue with his batting order, whether he will open or not. If he opens then, you can expect more runs but he demotes himself down the order as well in which case the big knocks are rare. The other thing that may go against him is that he might be behind in fitness from the other four names I would be taking.”
Rohit Sharma was followed by Shreyas Iyer in Aakash Chopra’s list of Indian batsmen to watch out for in IPL 2020. Praising Shreyas Iyer, Aakash Chopra said:
“At No.4, I am going with Shreyas Iyer. I feel his season will be good. What goes is in favour is that he is fit, young and has a lot of hunger for runs. He was in red-hot form before the lockdown and has assumed responsibility since he has been made the captain and his game has improved. He plays very well against spin and has some shots down the ground that make you go wow.”
The skipper of Chennai Super Kings – MS Dhoni grabbed the third spot in Aakash Chopra’s list of Indian batsmen who are likely to do wonders in IPL 2020. Explaining the reason behind so, Aakash said that MS Dhoni is likely to perform well as he has no pressure and has the sole intention of taking the franchise to another victory. He also added that MS Dhoni could be seen batting up the order because of the absence of Suresh Raina in the team. He said:
“At No.3, I have got MS Dhoni. I feel he will have a good IPL. Because he has not played for 12-14 months and retired from international cricket as well and he will have only one target, to help CSK win.”
He added:
“His role increases in Raina’s absence. It is possible he may come to bat at No.4 and may consistently give himself 10-12 overs and if he does that, then the season will be good. So it will not only be the impact, but he will also score more runs although the strike rate may not be the best.”
Virat Kohli, the skipper of Royal Challengers Bangalore was picked by Aakash Chopra at number 2 position in his list of Indian batsmen who could do set IPL 2020 ablaze. Giving a reason behind picking Virat at no 2 spot, Aakash Chopra pointed towards his fitness and also how he is going to go absolutely berserk as he has been away from the game. He said:
“At No.2, I have got the run-machine Kohli. He is a player you cannot keep away from runs or cricket. Since he has been away, he is going to go absolutely berserk. It will be required to run a lot in UAE, fitness will be required, he ticks all those boxes.”
He added:
“He is comfortable against both spin and pace. He will be either opening or batting at No.3, so he will contribute a lot.”
For the first position, Aakash Chopra picked KL Rahul, who will be leading his team Kings XI Punjab as a skipper in IPL 2020. Praising him, he said:
“At No.1, I am going with KL Rahul. The kind of form that he has been in with the added responsibility that he is now the KXIP captain and with the type of mindset he has at the moment, I think he is going to rock it.”
Furthermore, Aakash Chopra said that he is expecting KL Rahul to emerge out as the top run-scorer in the team. He said:
“I am expecting that he will be the top run-getter amongst the Indians in the tournament and could possibly end up with the Orange Cap.”
Here, watch the complete video:
