"If he is keeping well, please stick with him" - Aakash Chopra on whether Srikar Bharat should be replaced by a better batter
Aakash Chopra has urged India to stick with Srikar Bharat if he is doing a good job as a wicketkeeper even though he has not contributed substantially with the bat.
India and England are currently tied at 1-1 after the first two games of the five-match Test series. Bharat, who has taken six catches behind the wickets, has aggregated 92 runs at an average of 23.00 in his four innings.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked whether Bharat should be replaced by a better batter. He responded in the negative, elaborating (9:25):
"It's very good if a keeper scores runs. However, he hasn't played that badly as well, especially if you see the Hyderabad game. He was playing okay even in the first innings in Vizag. You get him to bat down the order. You are thinking about whether you can send him at No. 9."
"So when you are not expecting too many runs from him, I feel the thinking is wrong. He is a very decent batter. He recently scored runs for India A against the England Lions. I am not going to say that he is a very ordinary batter. If he is keeping well, please stick with him," the former India opener added.
Chopra noted that the Indian team shouldn't get too fidgety. He added that Dhruv Jurel, if played at Bharat's expense, would also be dropped if he doesn't keep well.
"We don't play spin that well now" - Aakash Chopra on why India have struggled against an inexperienced England spin-bowling attack
![The Indian batters have struggled against the England spinners. [P/C: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/02/8420c-17075457708857-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra was also asked why the Indian batters have been found wanting against an inexperienced England spin-bowling attack. He replied (8:00):
"It's because we don't play spin that well now. We don't dominate spin as much as we used to. The second aspect is that we have played so much on turning pitches that we aren't used to playing for long."
The renowned commentator attributed Shreyas Iyer's recurring back issue to the lack of long-format cricket.
"If you see Shreyas' back problem, it's because you haven't played much of days' cricket. When you don't play days' cricket and don't bat for long, your back is not ready. You are mentally unprepared. So it's okay till 30-50 runs but after that, there is a tendency to play a bad shot," he stated.
Chopra added that the Indian batters are lacking in their understanding of the game's pulse in long-format cricket. He added that they struggle even against ordinary spinners because they don't play domestic cricket at all.