"The one who has to sit out, it will be unjust to him" - Aakash Chopra on India's selection conundrum following KL Rahul's availability
Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes a selection headache is on the cards for the team with KL Rahul's return. The newly-appointed vice-captain of the side was not available for the first ODI in Ahmedabad but returns for the second.
Given Team India's vulnerability in the middle overs, KL Rahul could be deployed in the middle order despite him opening in South Africa in the absence of Rohit Sharma. Rahul is also one of three possible opening partners for the captain along with Mayank Agarwal and Ishan Kishan.
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Speaking on ESPN Cricinfo, Chopra admitted that a tough call will have to be made by the management to accommodate KL Rahul in the playing XI. Chopra said:
"The management does want to play KL Rahul. It is a tough one, whoever will have to sit out, will be unjust to them. Let's put it that way. Because Ishan Kishan was not in the original squad, and he is playing because both Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shikhar Dhawan have COVID, so if even Rahul was there in the previous match, Kishan would not have got a chance. So, Rahul should continue to open, he opened in the South Africa series."
Rahul scored 76 runs in three ODIs in South Africa. He notched a half-century in the second ODI and tried to play the anchor role alongside the in-form Shikhar Dhawan.
"No changes in the bowling for me" - Chopra
Team India gave a solid bowling performance to dismiss West Indies for 176 in the first ODI. The new-look bowling attack managed to tick all the boxes, ranging from a potent powerplay to controlling the middle overs with spin.
While Chopra admitted that Chahar should have played ahead of Thakur in the first ODI, he feels that the team should stick with the same combination. Chopra added:
"The middle-order batters should get 2-3 games so that they can try to cement their spot in the playing XI. If the pitch is like this for the 2nd ODI, then Kuldeep and Chahal could be played together, it would be a good opportunity, the ball was turning a lot. Tough to say which pitch it would be, there are two kinds of pitches over here, one with red soil and one with black soil. Dew factor also has to be considered if you are playing 3 spinners. No changes in the bowling for me, no need to change since they have done well."
That's that from the 1st ODI.
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India will take on West Indies in the second ODI of the three-match series on February 9. The Men In Blue have a 1-0 lead going into the fixture following a comprehensive six-wicket win in the first ODI.