"The problem that was there against West Indies will be repeated once again" - Aakash Chopra on India's probable bowling lineup for 1st Ireland T20I
Aakash Chopra reckons lack of batting depth will continue to be a problem for India in the T20I series against Ireland.
The Men in Blue will face the Irish in a three-match T20I series, with the first game to be played in Dublin on Friday, August 18. The visitors suffered a 2-3 defeat in the recently concluded T20I series against the West Indies, with their lower-order batting proving to be one of their biggest stumbling blocks.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the No. 8 batter issue will bog India down once again. He elaborated:
"I am already seeing a problem with this team. The problem that was there against West Indies will be repeated once again here. The simple problem is that they have not picked a No. 8 batter now also. You will get stuck if you try to pick a batter at No. 8."
The former Indian opener feels fielding Shahbaz Ahmed in the XI or playing an extra batter are not ideal solutions to the problem. He observed:
"You will say that you can only play Shahbaz (Ahmed) there or you can field an extra batter and play Washi (Washington Sundar) at No. 8. As soon as you do that, you won't get a bowler among the batters at the top. Then you will have to get Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal to bowl more."
Chopra acknowledged that he has himself advocated for Tilak Varma and Yashasvi Jaiswal to be given more bowling but added that the duo together cannot be the fifth bowling option. While observing that the team management might want to play Shahbaz in such a scenario, he questioned whether four overs can be expected from the left-arm spinner.
"You are stuck now" - Aakash Chopra on the likelihood of Ravi Bishnoi batting at No. 8
While picking Washington Sundar as an all-rounder at No. 7, Aakash Chopra chose four specialist bowlers in his XI. He said:
"Ravi Bishnoi after Washington Sundar and then Jasprit Bumrah. See Ravi Bishnoi has come at No. 8. You are stuck now. Bishnoi at No. 8, Bumrah at No. 9, Prasidh Krishna at No. 10, Arshdeep Singh at No. 11."
The renowned commentator wants Prasidh Krishna to be played ahead of Mukesh Kumar and Avesh Khan. He reasoned:
"I have not been able to give a place to Mukesh Kumar. I am giving a place to Prasidh because he is coming back after such a long time and if I don't play him, what's the point of picking him? There is no place getting created for Avesh Khan."
Krishna, who last played for India almost a year ago, is returning to the mix after recovering from back surgery. While Mukesh played all five T20Is against the West Indies, Avesh warmed the bench throughout the series.