Aakash Chopra picks his Indian XI for the WTC final; no place for Ravichandran Ashwin
Aakash Chopra has picked his preferred Indian XI for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia.
The two sides will lock horns at The Oval in London from Wednesday, June 7. The choice of wicketkeeper-batter and whether to play a second spinner are the two most debatable selection topics for India.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked an expected top four:
"There is a slight question on the XI. Shubman Gill with Rohit Sharma is a no-brainer. You will see both of them opening. Cheteshwar Pujara is at No. 3, Kohli at No. 4."
The former Indian opener chose Ajinkya Rahane, who is making a comeback after almost one-and-a-half years, as his No. 5 batter:
"Then I see Ajinkya Rahane playing at No. 5. It is also a no-brainer, you have to play him. Rising like a phoenix - that's how his career is going. It seemed it had gone down but it has suddenly taken off and I hope the T20 form stays with him in Test cricket as well."
Chopra wants Ravindra Jadeja to bat at No. 6:
"At No. 6, I am thinking Ravindra Jadeja. I feel he will do the job there. So I don't feel the need to play another batter there. When India played on this ground the last time, I think he batted at No. 4 or No. 5. So five proper batters and Ravindra Jadeja at No. 6."
Jadeja batted at No. 5 in both innings of the Oval Test against England in September 2021. He managed just 27 runs across the two innings, although he did play out 93 balls in the process.
"I won't take a chance with Ishan Kishan" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra picked Srikar Bharat as the wicketkeeper-batter ahead of Ishan Kishan, reasoning:
"I am keeping Kona Bharat at No. 7 because why should I get Ishan Kishan to make his Test debut straightaway in the WTC final and just because Rishabh Pant used to do such a job, but Rishabh Pant is your proper No. 5 batter in Test cricket. I won't take a chance with Ishan Kishan."
While acknowledging that Australia have a plethora of left-handers, the cricketer-turned-commentator wants India to play Shardul Thakur ahead of Ravichandran Ashwin, explaining:
"After that, I am playing Shardul Thakur. I am unable to play Ravichandran Ashwin for the simple reason that there is still a lot of grass. If you are even in a slight mood of bowling after winning the toss, you will have to play Shardul Thakur."
Chopra concluded by choosing Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav as his three specialist seamers:
"After Shardul Thakur, I have Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami and Umesh Yadav. I will think about Jaydev Unadkat for sure but has been injured recently. So it is difficult to say if he is fully match-fit. He will have to bowl 20-25 overs, you don't want to take a chance. So I will go with Umesh Yadav."
Aakash Chopra's Indian XI for the WTC final: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav