"Rinku Singh said that they have been told to keep destroying" - Aakash Chopra on India's new T20I approach under Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir
Aakash Chopra has noted India have adopted a new ultra-aggressive T20I batting approach under Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir. He pointed out that Rinku Singh also disclosed that the team management has asked them to keep batting destructively.
India trounced Bangladesh 3-0 in a recently concluded T20I series. They achieved a 128-run target in 11.5 overs in the first game and posted 221 and 297-run totals while batting first in the last two matches, respectively.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the renowned commentator lauded India's new destructive T20I approach under Suryakumar and Gambhir.
"Let's talk about the pairing of Gautam Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav. A new captain and coach came and suddenly there was a new approach. In a post-match interview with JioCinema, Rinku Singh said that they have been told to keep destroying and not think about anything else. They have been asked to be fearless and not take any tension if wickets fall," he said (9:20).
Chopra added that players no longer seem to be worried about their positions in the XI in case they fail.
"To keep hitting is a phenomenal philosophy but you need to back it because when a player gets out, he is dropped. If the team is backing you, that you won't be dropped, then you are on the right path. It seems like this Youngistan is going to play differently," he observed.
Barring Abhishek Sharma, every frontline Indian batter had a strike rate of 180 or more against Bangladesh. The left-handed opener, who aggregated only 35 runs in his three innings, scored at a strike rate of 159.09.
"You don't want to ignore a few markers because they tell about the approach and thinking" - Aakash Chopra on India's explosive starts
![India smashed 82 runs in the powerplay overs in the final T20I against Bangladesh. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/10/f6309-17288918969478-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra acknowledged that the Indian team under Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir are yet to face formidable opponents.
However, he added that their approach in the powerplay or the first 10 overs demonstrates their thinking.
"Of course, you have played against two weak teams - Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. You are not going to read too much into the stats. However, you don't want to ignore a few markers because they tell about the approach and thinking, like how you play the first six or 10 overs," he said.
The former India opener noted that the Men in Blue have taken the opposition bowlers to the cleaners in virtually each of their first six games under the new leadership.
"Only two times they have scored less than 50 runs in the first six overs and there you will find that three or four wickets have fallen. If wickets fall like that, of course, you will slow down. But if you see the runs apart from that, they made 82 in the last match and then 70-odd in the other three," Chopra elaborated.
"It's not that the same players have played but the thinking hasn't changed. Sanju (Samson) was opening this time and someone else was opening last time. That is also reflected in the 10-over mark. They scored more than 150 in the last match but you are not talking less than 100. Even if wickets fall, you continuously keep hitting," he added.
Chopra concluded by highlighting that although Rohit Sharma used to talk about adopting a fearless approach, the Indian team didn't play like that under his leadership in both ODIs and T20Is.
He added that while Rohit was playing fearlessly, it seemed like the rest of the team wasn't fully aligned with his thinking.