"I feel Ruturaj Gaikwad's name might not be there for the World Cup" - Aakash Chopra picks his batters for India's Asian Games squad
Aakash Chopra has picked Ruturaj Gaikwad among the batters in his Indian squad for the upcoming Asian Games, highlighting the opener is unlikely to be in the scheme of things for the 2023 World Cup.
The selectors will have to pick two separate squads for the continental multi-sport event and the global 50-over extravaganza, considering the two events are overlapping. It will be interesting to see if Gaikwad is in the selectors' thoughts for the World Cup as he has been picked in India's ODI squad for the West Indies tour.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Gaikwad as one of the openers in his Asian Games batting lineup, reasoning:
"I am starting with Ruturaj Gaikwad. I feel Ruturaj Gaikwad's name might not be there for the World Cup. Already Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma are there and then Ishan Kishan is there as an opener. Then Shreyas Iyer comes and then you have Virat Kohli. So there I feel a place might not get opened up."
The former Indian opener picked Yashasvi Jaiswal to bat at the top of the order alongside Gaikwad, elaborating:
"So I am going with Ruturaj Gaikwad as an opener. He hasn't got too many opportunities. For some reason, he is not considered as your T20 batter. The second player I have picked is Yashasvi Jaiswal. Once again his career is just starting and he has not been even close to the ODI side for the last two-three years."
Chopra refrained from picking Shikhar Dhawan as one of the openers. He reasoned that he would want to go all youth in the game's shortest format.
"I have kept the No. 3 spot for him" - Aakash Chopra on Tilak Varma
Aakash Chopra chose Tilak Varma ahead of Sai Sudharsan to bat at the No. 3 position, reasoning:
"After that, I have kept Tilak Varma. I have kept the No. 3 spot for him here. Sai Sudharsan could have also been there but I have kept Tilak Varma because I feel he brings a lot more in man-to-man marking. He bowls a little as well."
The former Kolkata Knight Riders player picked two batters from the franchise in his middle order:
"At four, I have got Nitish Rana. If you see the last many years, he has consistently performed well. I have made the IPL the base because it is your premier T20 tournament. After that, Rinku Singh certainly deserves a spot."
Chopra chose Jitesh Sharma and Shivam Dube to complete his top seven:
"After that, Jitesh Sharma. I feel you should definitely play him considering the way he has performed. You need a wicketkeeper, Jitesh Sharma could be that guy. Then I have got Shivam Dube. I have kept him at No. 7 but you can send him up the order. This IPL was a game-changer."
The cricketer-turned-commentator also picked Abhishek Sharma as a multi-skilled player in his squad. He pointed out that the SunRisers Hyderabad opener provides an additional spin-bowling option apart from his abilities with the bat.