"If you don't play Sanju Samson, you will be criticized a lot" - Aakash Chopra on final IND vs NZ ODI
Aakash Chopra feels India should play the likes of Sanju Samson, who are not part of India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh, in the final ODI against New Zealand.
The final game of the three-match ODI series will be played in Christchurch on Wednesday, November 30. The Kiwis lead the series 1-0 after winning the first game by seven wickets, with the second match not yielding a result due to rain.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that India should play Kuldeep Yadav, Umran Malik, Deepak Hooda and Samson in the final ODI, elaborating:
"Give one match to Kuldeep, play Umran Malik for sure. Play Deepak Hooda also but try to play Sanju Samson as well. If you don't play Sanju Samson, you will be criticized a lot, be ready for that if you don't play him."
However, Chopra acknowledged the selection conundrum for the team management if they want to play both Samson and Hooda. The former Indian batter explained:
"But if you play him (Samson), how will you play Deepak Hooda? If you play him as well, then you won't be able to play Rishabh Pant. What will you do? You are resting Suryakumar Yadav in the next series, so there is no need to rest him here, in any case this is not a dead rubber, it is all to play for."
Samson was left out of the Indian XI for the second ODI against the Black Caps to include a sixth bowling option in Hooda. The decision drew a lot of criticism on social media, considering the Kerala batter's excellent recent performances for the Men in Blue in 50-over cricket.
"The expectation from him will be to do well" - Aakash Chopra on Shikhar Dhawan
Chopra expects Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan to continue their good work at the top of the order, saying:
"Shubman Gill is batting very well and Shikhar Dhawan plays well in any case, he played well in the first match and the expectation from him will be to do well in the third match also."
The renowned commentator hopes Rishabh Pant delivers the goods with the bat. He stated:
"Rishabh Pant should score runs else there will be a lot of commotion because there is a lot of commotion when he doesn't score runs. When he scores runs, there is a lot of celebration as well. He covers the journey between commotion and celebration very quickly."
The amount of hate Rishabh Pant gets on this platform is unreal… 🤷♂️
Chopra wants India to put a little pressure on themselves by opting to chase if they win the toss in the final ODI. The former Indian opener feels Kane Williamson and Co. have the edge heading into the encounter.