Aakash Chopra picks his best XI of Asia Cup 2023, no place for Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya
Aakash Chopra has picked his best XI of the recently concluded Asia Cup 2023. Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya are two of the prominent performers who didn't find a place in his chosen side.
India lifted the Asia Cup trophy for a record-extending eighth time after thrashing Sri Lanka by 10 wickets in the final in Colombo on Sunday, September 17. While Shubman Gill (302) scored the most runs in the tournament, Matheesha Pathirana (11) was the highest wicket-taker.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill as the two openers of this hypothetical XI. He elaborated:
"Let's start with the opener - Rohit Sharma, he is also my captain. He is in good form and played well too. He was dismissed for a duck once for sure but other than that, he has been good."
The former Indian opener added:
"Shubman Gill is my second opener. If you look around, you will not keep anyone among Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Mohammad Naim and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. So he (Gill) is not just the only one left, he is actually very, very good. You should actually sing his praises."
Kusal Mendis pipped Kohli for the No. 3 position. Chopra reasoned:
"There was a fight at No. 3. I haven't kept Virat Kohli's name. I have kept Kusal Mendis's name for the simple reason that he has scored a lot of runs. Kusal got a lot of opportunities but how can you ignore nearly 275 runs."
The cricketer-turned-commentator chose KL Rahul and Mohammad Rizwan to bat at No. 4 and No. 5 respectively. He said:
"I have kept KL Rahul at No. 4. He hit a century and was scoring runs consistently. At No. 5, I have kept Mohammad Rizwan. He has consistently batted well in this Asia Cup. I have also got him to keep."
Chopra picked Iftikhar Ahmed ahead of Pandya for the No. 6 position. He explained:
"At No. 6, I have got Iftikhar Ahmed. Without a doubt Hardik Pandya could have been here - three wickets in the final and runs against Pakistan but I have kept Iftikhar's name because his performance is better at No. 6."
Iftikhar Ahmed amassed 179 runs, including a century against Nepal, at an average of 89.50 and a strike rate of 122.60 in his three innings in the continental tournament. He also picked up four wickets in the 18.4 overs he bowled.
"I can definitely not keep Shadab Khan" - Aakash Chopra on choosing Dunith Wellalage at No. 7
![Dunith Wellalage stood out with his all-round performance in Sri Lanka's Super Four loss to India. [P/C: AP]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/09/8a2f5-16950928576116-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra picked Dunith Wellalage as the spin-bowling all-rounder. He explained:
"Dunith Wellalage at No. 7. It's mandatory for his name to be there because I am unable to find anyone else. I can't keep Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. I can definitely not keep Shadab Khan and I won't keep Shakib Al Hasan to bat so low."
The 46-year-old chose Shaheen Shah Afridi and Kuldeep Yadav as his first two specialist bowlers. He stated:
"At No. 8, I have got Shaheen Shah Afridi. He opened India up in the first game. He brought the team back into the game in the Sri Lanka match. After that, Kuldeep Yadav. He was the Player of the Tournament. There is no debate here whether he should be there or not."
Chopra completed his XI by picking Matheesha Pathirana and Mohammed Siraj as Afridi's seam-bowling partners. He elaborated:
"At No. 10, I have got Matheesha Pathirana. He is at the top of the wicket-taking list. Apart from the India game, he did well in every match. I had Haris Rauf at No. 11 before the final but the Siraj named storm came in the final. I have put Mohammed Siraj's name in this team at the end."
Aakash Chopra's best XI of Asia Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Kusal Mendis, KL Rahul, Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Dunith Wellalage, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Kuldeep Yadav, Matheesha Pathirana, Mohammed Siraj