Asia Cup 2022: Aakash Chopra picks Team India's probable XI; no place for Dinesh Karthik
Aakash Chopra has picked his probable Team India XI for their Asia Cup 2022 opener against Pakistan.
The Asia Cup is scheduled to be played in the UAE from August 27 to September 11. The selectors picked the 15-member Indian squad for the tournament on Monday, August 8.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that KL Rahul is likely to open with Rohit Sharma. He, however, added that it would not be a surprise if Virat Kohli bats at the top of the order, explaining:
"It seems it has been discussed that KL Rahul is going to be the opener and Virat Kohli is going to be at No. 3. Long-term perspective - no problem at all, this is what you want. But they have experimented so much in opening that we might see some more experiments. It is possible Rahul does not open and Virat Kohli opens."
Chopra picked Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant to showcase their wares in the middle order. The cricketer-turned-commentator elaborated:
"Suryakumar Yadav will be in the middle order. Rishabh Pant might go above Surya, that's a possibility because we have seen repeatedly that a left-hander is required, every team has a leg-spinner, so you need Rishabh Pant in between."
Chopra named Hardik Pandya as the other batter in the top six. He added that Dinesh Karthik is unlikely to feature in the playing XI, saying:
"That means Suryakumar at No. 5 or No. 6 because Hardik Pandya is also there, then why were you making him open for so long? Dinesh Karthik might not be able to get a place in the XI. Deepak Hooda's selection shows that team needs a floater who can bat down the order and give you some bowling as well."
Karthik has consistently performed the finisher's role for Team India since his return to the side. However, with all frontline batters being available for the tournament, it will be tough to accommodate him in the XI.
"The team might feel the batting is slightly fragile" - Aakash Chopra reckons Deepak Hooda might play against Pakistan
Chopra feels Team India might play Deepak Hooda as an additional batter. He reasoned:
"It is possible that when the first match happens against Pakistan, because KL Rahul is coming after playing no cricket and Virat Kohli is coming after a break, the team might feel the batting is slightly fragile and that they should keep Deepak Hooda as well."
Had a look at Asia Cup squad again, I think Deepak Hooda has been selected to plug multiple holes.
Won't start in the playing 11, but can be the backup opener, backup finisher to DK, backup batting all-rounder to Jadeja.
Utility players always fill the last spots of the squad!
Chopra completed his XI by picking two spinners and as many pacers. The reputed commentator observed:
"They can go with four bowlers and you can get four overs from Hardik Pandya and Hooda. That could be the thought process, that you play Jaddu and Chahal and two fast bowlers - Arshdeep and Bhuvi because you might not want to play Avesh as of now."
Aakash Chopra's Indian XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh.