T20 World Cup 2021: "It's not unfair" - Aakash Chopra on Team India depending a lot on Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul
Aakash Chopra believes Team India are overly dependent on Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, or their top order in general, in the shortest format of the game.
India were restricted to lowly totals in their first two matches against Pakistan and New Zealand in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 after they lost early wickets. The Virat Kohli-led side posted a mammoth 210/2 on the board when Rohit and Rahul stitched together an opening partnership of 140 runs against Afghanistan.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was asked if it would be fair to say that India's batting performance, particularly in T20Is, depends a lot on how Rohit and Rahul bat at the top. He responded:
"It's not unfair because the Indian team is a little top-heavy. And secondly, the culture we have seen in white-ball cricket, it's always about the individuals. If Rahul and Rohit play well, you will post a big total and the team will win. Same about Kohli."
The former India opener added that the destructive batting shown by the Indian team against Afghanistan is not the norm. Aakash Chopra observed:
"What we saw against Afghanistan was an aberration. We don't do batting like this. We say that everything is fine and if we reach 180-190 runs, it is a very good score. We have the bowling to defend it."
India’s approach to batting in T20Is makes little sense. Their attacking shot percentage (especially in this tournament) is extremely low. For a group of players who play T20 cricket so regularly, u’d think they’d play differently.
Rohit and Rahul smashed 52 runs in the first five overs against Afghanistan. It was in sharp contrast to India's scores of 36/3 and 35/2 in the powerplay overs against Pakistan and New Zealand respectively.
"There is no reason why India should not score 200 almost every time" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra feels Team India can post massive scores in T20I cricket, more often than not, if they take the attack to the opposition. He elaborated:
"But if you talk about this batting, it has the power to target 200 every single time. And you will do that eight out of ten times unless the bowling is very good and the pitch is helpful. Other than that, there is no reason why India should not score 200 almost every time. But we don't try at all, we don't play that brand of cricket."
The 44-year-old concluded by stating that India should end their over-reliance on their top order. Aakash Chopra said:
"You are absolutely right, the scenario we have created is that if the openers do well, we will do well. If the top three fire, we are good else our match goes bad. I want this thing to change going forward, that everyone should play the same way, then the dependency will not remain on one player."
India are playing 2010 Cricket .. The game has moved on .. #T20WorldCup
Team India would need greater depth in the batting department if they want to imbibe the England approach of attack at all costs. With most of the Indian bowlers not being too adept with the bat, an all-out aggressive approach could prove hazardous.
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