T20 World Cup 2021: "How do you drop match-winners, it's a difficult question" - Aakash Chopra on Team India's squad selection issues
Aakash Chopra believes it would have been a tough call for the selectors to drop Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya from India's T20 World Cup 2021 squad even though the duo are searching for form.
Bhuvneshwar looked out of sorts in India's first match against Pakistan and the two warm-up encounters as well. Pandya, meanwhile, has been bogged down due to injury issues and has lacked form with the bat.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra was asked if the selection of the squad or the playing XI was a bigger problem for Team India. The cricketer-turned-commentator said the following about Bhuvneshwar and Pandya's selection:
"It is a big problem if someone does not have form, whether that bowler's name is Bhuvneshwar Kumar or it is Hardik Pandya. These are serious cricketers, senior cricketers, match-winners. How do you drop them, it is a difficult question."
Aakash Chopra added that the selectors were probably in the dark about Pandya's actual fitness status. He observed:
"There was a question about Hardik Pandya as well. The selectors were probably told that he will be bowling and they picked the team according to that. But he didn't bowl, he did yesterday but not generally."
"The truth is that the selectors wanted to send Hardik Pandya back to India after he didn't bowl in the IPL, but Mentor Dhoni vouched for his finishing skills" - TOI
@MSDhoni | #MSDhoni | #TeamIndia
Pandya did roll his arm over in India's last match against New Zealand. However, he was far from his best and his selection in the squad is certainly debatable.
Check out who is at the top of the points table of ICC T20 World Cup here.
Aakash Chopra on Team India's other selection issues
Aakash Chopra also questioned Ishan Kishan's selection as the only extra batter in India's squad. He reasoned:
"You have picked just one extra batsman and especially if he is an opener and in a team where there are already so many openers. Then your hands are tied, the day one player becomes unavailable, that day you will be forced to play that guy who is actually an opener. And if you make him open as you did with Ishan, your entire batting order gets derailed, they should have thought about this thing earlier."
The 44-year-old also criticized the non-selection of Yuzvendra Chahal. Aakash Chopra explained:
"If you had Chahal, will you have not played him the first and the second match, you would have played him both because Chahal is your four-over bank and he picks up wickets, these are very big grounds."
"Yuzi Chahal is s Wonderful bowler. I personally wanted to see him in the T20 World Cup. But unfortunately he didn't get Picked." - Imran Tahir
While pointing out that the team management is equally responsible for the squad selection, Aakash Chopra opined that the correct playing XI was picked based on the options available.