"The World Cup is not too far" - Aakash Chopra questions India for resting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in 2nd ODI vs West Indies
Aakash Chopra has criticized India for resting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the second ODI against the West Indies.
Sanju Samson and Axar Patel replaced the duo in India's playing XI in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Saturday, July 29. Shai Hope and Co. took advantage of the visitors fielding a relatively inexperienced side by registering a six-wicket win and drawing parity in the three-match series.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned whether Rohit Sharma and Co. took the visitors too lightly and pointed out that the World Cup isn't too far away either. He elaborated:
"You might be wondering why Rohit and Kohli weren't there. Was it because the opposition team collapsed in the last match? The West Indies looked extremely ordinary while batting first, so India thought they won't play their main players, let's experiment a little more. Could that have been the reason?"
The former Indian opener added:
"If that was the reason, even you could have got out in one match, that your team gets bowled out for 150, like you made 181 now. So should West Indies ask Shai Hope to rest as this Indian team is very weak? That doesn't really cut it in my opinion because the World Cup is not too far."
Chopra pointed out that the World Cup preparation can only be done if the team plays together in all ODIs. He added that it's not only important to play together but to also bat at the right positions.
"You played eight days of cricket overall" - Aakash Chopra debunks the workload management theory
Aakash Chopra highlighted that workload management can also not be the reason for resting Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, explaining:
"The second point could be that players need rest, that a lot of cricket is happening and workload management is required. The truth is that there was one match in June (the WTC final), two matches in July that lasted seven days, and one ODI match. So you played eight days of cricket overall (in July)."
The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the Men in Blue don't have any ODI games lined up after this series until the Asia Cup, observing:
"There is no ODI cricket in the entire August, except the last match of this series, but I am assuming why will you play the last match if you didn't play this one. You didn't bat in the first match in any case. You will straightaway play in the Asia Cup in September. So the workload is not that much if you see it from that angle."
While Rohit batted at No. 7 and scored an unbeaten 19-ball 12 in the first ODI, Kohli didn't get to face a delivery. It will be interesting to see if the duo are back in the XI for the series decider, although Hardik Pandya did mention at the toss that they were rested only for the second ODI.