"That is a problem" - Aakash Chopra says Ruturaj Gaikwad's slow starts pegs Team India back a little bit

Ruturaj Gaikwad is not known to be an explosive batter at the top of the order [P/C: BCCI]

Aakash Chopra believes Ruturaj Gaikwad taking time to force the pace at the top of the order is an area of concern for Team India.

Gaikwad scored 23 runs off 15 balls in the first T20I between India and South Africa. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener did hit three sixes during his knock, but he was slightly fortunate to clear the boundary with a couple of those hits.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra delved into some of the problem areas for Team India and said the following about Gaikwad:

"It seems very good when you hear 211 but if you know that anything less than 200 is not going to work out, then you try and reach 225-230 if possible. So where did we get stuck? There are a lot of aspects there. If we start with Ruturaj Gaikwad, his strike rate in the first 10 balls is very low. He runs very slowly and that is a problem."

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Pune-born player's slow start would hurt the team if he doesn't play a substantial knock. Chopra observed:

"And this is not about now, it was the case in the IPL as well. He goes at a strike rate of 80 to 90 in the first 10-12 balls. After that, if he plays a big knock then fine, else he pegs you back a little bit."

Gaikwad generally prefers to get his eye in before playing the big shots. The silken stroke-maker might only end up losing his wicket if he is asked to take the attack to the opposition bowlers from the word go.

"It is extremely necessary to talk about Shreyas Iyer" - Aakash Chopra

Shreyas Iyer was not too fluent against the pacers in the first T20I [P/C: BCCI]

Chopra picked Shreyas Iyer's slightly underwhelming strike rate against the pacers as another problem area for Team India. He elaborated:

"Ishan Kishan is playing like an absolute rockstar. It is extremely necessary to talk about Shreyas Iyer because his strike rate against spin is extremely high, he scores 24 runs off eight balls, but as soon as fast bowling comes, it is between 85 and 115."

The 44-year-old highlighted that the issue was observed in the first T20I against the Proteas as well. Chopra explained:

"The difference between spin and pace is just radical, there is a massive difference. And that is what happened, when Ishan Kishan was dismissed, 20 runs had come off that over. But four to five singles in each of the next two overs, one each from Rabada and Nortje, and you were pegged back."

Shreyas Iyer in the first #INDvSA

vs spin: 23 (10)
vs pace: 13 (17)

#INDvSA #CricketTwitter https://t.co/t6b1aqUQ87

Chopra concluded by stating that two overs each at the start and in the middle might not seem a lot but they comprise 20 percent of a T20 innings. He pointed out that Team India wouldn't have even reached 211 in the last game if not for Hardik Pandya's explosive batting in the last few overs.