IND vs AUS 2022: "I back KL Rahul and Virat Kohli to score over 60 runs together" - Aakash Chopra expects the top-order duo to shine in the 2nd T20I
Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that Nagpur's good batting surface presents KL Rahul and Virat Kohli with an opportunity to be among the runs in the second T20I against Australia on Friday, September 23.
Rahul silenced his critics with a sublime fifty (55 off 35) in the series opener on Tuesday, September 20, in Mohali. Kohli, however, had a forgettable outing after being dismissed for just two runs off seven balls.
It is to be noted that KL Rahul boasts an excellent record in Nagpur. In the two T20Is he has played at the venue, the Karnataka-born batter has registered 121 runs at a strike rate of 150. Kohli, on the other hand, holds a lukewarm record here, managing just 44 runs across two matches.
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Chopra, who also backed Deepak Chahar and Axar Patel to be amongst the wickets, said on his YouTube channel:
"This is once again, going to be a good pitch for batting, so I back KL Rahul and Virat Kohli to score over 60 runs together. If Deepak Chahar plays, and I think he should, he and Axar Patel will take a combined four or more wickets."
India's batters put in a solid shift to post 208 runs in the first T20I, but it proved to be insufficient as the visitors chased it down with four balls to spare.
Admitting that the batters should always look to post 10-15 runs above par when put in to bat first, Chopra said:
"The Indian batters were not scoring plenty of runs in the Asia Cup. Always ended with 160-180, which used to get chased down. At that time, I always used to think that the batters need to score 15-20 runs extra. Now, in the first T20I, they scored well above par and even that was chased down. So, the question is, how many runs do you have to score? 250?"
India have now lost five out of their last 12 T20Is and are at risk of faltering at the wrong time. Their last four defeats have come while defending a total, adding concern to the bowling unit.
"I still feel India will win the match" - Aakash Chopra
India are on the lookout to overturn their dismal record against the visitors at home. The Men in Blue have now lost four consecutive T20I matches against Australia, with their last win coming in 2017.
Backing India to end their string of losses and level the series in Nagpur, Chopra said:
"Smith and Maxwell will score over 50 runs together and I still feel India will win the match. Win the toss, win the match is going on everywhere, but Nagpur is not such a venue. It's not like you've won half the game by winning the toss. Chases do happen here, but not on all attempts."
Nine out of the 12 T20I matches played at the venue have been won by the teams batting first. India last played in Nagpur three years ago against Bangladesh, winning the contest by 30 runs.
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Noting that the decision to play in Nagpur ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 was a calculated one, Chopra said:
"Nagpur is a pretty big ground. I think it was decided that India needs to play on big grounds before leaving for the World Cup, to mirror the venues in Australia. No good will come out of playing on the regular small Indian venues at the moment. After this, they move to Hyderabad, which is also a huge ground."
Expecting the surface to have decent grass cover for the pacers, Chopra believes that the spinners can stake their claim as well due to the large boundaries on offer. He added:
"Even the pitch will be similar to what we find in Australia, only a little turn on offer. These are batting-friendly pitches with a little more grass. The majority of the wickets here have been picked by pacers, but expect the spinners to get more assistance when compared to Mohali, only because of the size, not the pitch."
India are scheduled to face Australia in the second T20I of the series at the Vidharbha Association Ground in Nagpur on Friday, September 23.
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