T20 World Cup: "Once again a story which is unfinished" - Aakash Chopra on Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav not getting to bat much
Aakash Chopra believes Team India should have given Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya more time in the middle by making them bat ahead of Rishabh Pant in the warm-up match against England.
Team India registered an easy seven-wicket win in their first warm-up match ahead of the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup. While KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Pant shone with the bat, Yadav and Pandya did not get to face too many deliveries.
While reflecting on India's run chase in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra questioned Team India's decision to send Pant ahead of Yadav and Pandya. He elaborated:
"There was a big question in my mind that when Ishan was batting well, why did you send Rishabh Pant. End of the day, Surya made 8 runs off 9 balls, neither the form came nor went, you don't know what really happened. Hardik Pandya, the shots he played, all balls were not hitting the middle of the bat, and once again a story which is unfinished."
The former India cricketer highlighted that Yadav and Pandya needed a longer stint in the middle. Aakash Chopra reasoned:
"You did not have a need to send Rishabh Pant there, you could have sent Suryakumar Yadav and then Hardik Pandya so that both of them would have got some game time. Rishabh Pant had scored runs just now in the IPL as well."
Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya come into the T20 World Cup on the back of indifferent performances in IPL 2021. Although the duo seemed to be getting some of their touch back towards the end of the tournament, a little more time in the middle would have helped their cause.
"KL Rahul is India's best T20 batsman at this point in time" - Aakash Chopra
Speaking about some of the positives for Team India, Aakash Chopra opined that KL Rahul is head and shoulders above any other Indian batsman. He said:
"The captain has said that Rahul is going to open and there is no doubt that Rahul should open. In my opinion, he is India's best T20 batsman at this point in time, nobody comes close."
5⃣1⃣ Runs
2⃣4⃣ Balls
6⃣ Fours
3⃣ Sixes
What a knock @klrahul11 has played! 👏 👏
#TeamIndia #INDvENG #T20WorldCup
📸: Getty Images https://t.co/zSyFyWeh59
The 44-year-old concluded by stating that Ishan Kishan is unlikely to be a part of Team India's playing XI despite his exploits with the bat. Aakash Chopra explained:
"If you are speculating if Ishan can open or come in the middle order, you didn't make him bat in the middle order and there is no place where you made him bat. I think Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are your two openers however well Ishan Kishan might bat."
Continuing from where he left off...🔥
Ishan Kishan brings up his 5⃣0⃣ with two HUGE sixes! 🤩
#OneFamily #INDvENG #T20WorldCup @BCCI https://t.co/qKlPIfMtXj
Virat Kohli has already confirmed that KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will bat at the top of the order for Team India. Kishan could play at the expense of Yadav or Pandya in the middle order, especially if the latter is not fit to bowl.