"He is not even close to Bumrah when it comes to death bowling" - Aakash Chopra on naming Deepak Chahar as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement for the T20 World Cup 2022
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra has discussed the possibility of Deepak Chahar being included in India's 2022 T20 World Cup main squad as Jasprit Bumrah's replacement.
Bumrah has reportedly been ruled out of the tournament following a stress fracture to his back. He could potentially be out for several months.
Mohammad Shami and Deepak Chahar, who are on India's stand-by list, are the favorites to replace Bumrah for the tournament. Shami last played a T20I in November 2021, while Chahar has a handful of matches under his belt after returning from an injury layoff himself.
The latter most recently played in India's eight-wicket win over South Africa, picking up 2/24 from his four overs.
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Chopra believes Chahar will be an upgrade with the new ball when compared to Jasprit Bumrah. However, he has voiced his concerns surrounding the Chennai Super Kings pacer's death bowling ability:
"Deepak Chahar, again, will be better than Bumrah with the new ball he will give you results with the new ball upfront, he will get the ball to swing and get wickets, might concede runs but he will get wickets that is for sure. But, he is not even close to Bumrah when it comes to death bowling."
Adding that Chahar's inclusion will extend India's batting depth, Chopra said:
"However, Chahar brings one thing to the table that Shami can't, and that is his batting. The batting depth will be huge, till about No. 9 if Chahar plays."
Chahar suffered a back injury earlier this year that ruled him out of the entirety of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 campaign. He returned to the fold during the tour of Zimbabwe and also played in the ensuing Asia Cup 2022.
"It is a no in my opinion" - Aakash Chopra on Mohammad Siraj potentially replacing Jasprit Bumrah in the squad
The management could also wish to explore more options apart from the players on the stand-by list to replace Jasprit Bumrah in the T20 World Cup 2022 squad. In that case, the primary options are likely to be Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan and Prasidh Krishna.
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Assessing a couple of the out-of-the-box options, Chopra said:
"Siraj is another prospect because he did well on the Australian pitches. But, it is a no in my opinion. He went for plenty of runs in the IPL and his numbers have not been good. You think of Prasidh Krishna, but he has been injured and he has not played any T20Is as well."
Mohammad Siraj has been named as Bumrah's replacement for the remaining T20Is against South Africa by the BCCI.
Who should replace Jasprit Bumrah in the main squad ahead of the tournament? Let us know what you think.