Aakash Chopra picks his Indian Test squad for the South Africa tour; leaves out Ajinkya Rahane and Shubman Gill
Aakash Chopra has picked his preferred Indian Test squad for the upcoming series against South Africa. Ajinkya Rahane and Shubman Gill are a couple of big names who failed to find favor with him.
Team India are scheduled to tour South Africa for three Tests and as many ODIs, with the first Test starting on December 26. While acknowledging that a huge squad is likely to be picked for the tour, Aakash Chopra opted to make the task difficult for himself by restricting his selection to just 15 players.
While sharing his team through a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra named Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul as his first-choice openers. He elaborated:
"I have picked Rohit as my opener, without doubt. I have picked Rahul as my opener, without doubt. Rohit and Rahul was a straightforward decision, they are doing well. They forged a new partnership in England and did very well."
The cricketer-turned-commentator opted to stick with Cheteshwar Pujara at No. 3. Chopra observed:
"I have kept Pujara in my team and I have picked my XI as well. I will play him at No. 3 in this team. There is a lot of pressure on him and this tour is very important for him but as of now, Pujara is there."
Aakash Chopra expectedly picked skipper Virat Kohli to bat at No. 4. He said:
"At No. 4, I have got Kohli, there is no doubt in that. He has struck centuries in South Africa and the expectation is that the century wait will end here. He will have to score runs, the batsman Kohli will have to help the captain Kohli."
The former India opener chose Shreyas Iyer ahead of Rahane as the final specialist batter in his playing XI. Chopra reasoned:
"At No. 5, I have picked Shreyas Iyer. Who can make him sit out after what he did on his debut? If he is at five, that means Ajinkya Rahane is not in my XI. We want to maintain the continuity and want to go with a player who has scored runs."
VVS Laxman picks Shreyas Iyer ahead of Ajinkya Rahane to play in the Boxing Day Test against South Africa. (On Star).
Rishabh Pant found a place in Aakash Chopra's side as the wicketkeeper-batter. He stated:
"Rishabh Pant at six, five batters and a keeper. Pant as a keeper and batter is in my side. I am not changing the captain's philosophy, he has said that he will play five bowlers and I have made the team according to that."
It will be interesting to see if Team India persist with their five-bowler approach in South Africa. With pitches likely to assist the seamers, they might be forced to take a slightly more defensive approach and go with an extra batter.
Aakash Chopra's selection of all-rounders and bowlers in his playing XI
Ravindra Jadeja's all-round skills earned him a place in Aakash Chopra's playing XI. The latter explained:
"At No. 7, Ravindra Jadeja. Jaddu as a batsman, Jaddu as a bowler, Jaddu as a fielder, Jaddu as a gun player. There is no doubt about Jaddu. He is an amazing player and he is playing in the XI according to me."
The 44-year-old also opted to go with a second spinner in Ravichandran Ashwin. Chopra reasoned:
"At No. 8, I have got Ashwin. I want to play two spinners, I have not seen the pitch but I feel you can play two spinners because if there are four fast bowlers, one of them is under-bowled."
Ravi Ashwin said, "I would like to go to South Africa and win a series there. We haven't done it before, hopefully we can do this time".
Aakash Chopra picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj as the three pacers in his playing XI. He pointed out:
"After that, it is very simple. There is Bumrah and Shami, there is no discussion and debate in that. Everyone will keep them in the team. After that, I have kept Siraj at No. 11. He has leapfrogged everyone, he has become the third pacer."
Aakash Chopra also named Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Shardul Thakur and Umesh Yadav as the four reserves in his 15-member squad.
Aakash Chopra's Indian Test squad for South Africa tour: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Mayank Agarwal, Hanuma Vihari, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav