Chopra said the two need just another good IPL 2021 season to play international cricket.
As the BCCI and ECB confirmed the itinerary for England’s tour of India 2020-21, former Indian cricketer-turned-cricket analyst Aakash Chopra believed that Mumbai Indians duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan might get their chance in the upcoming home series.
On December 10, BCCI and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the full schedule for the upcoming India-England series, comprising five T20Is, three ODIs, and four Tests starting next month.
Well, Suryakumar and Kishan, both uncapped players impressed a lot with their batting performances in the IPL 2020, but they were not picked for the ongoing Australia tour – which invited a lot of debate and criticism, especially for Surya.
Suryakumar and Ishan were among the key factors in MI dominance and IPL title defense in the IPL 2020 in the UAE and Chopra said the two are “knocking the doors” for India selection since both Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson failed to cement a place in the recent white-ball series in Australia.
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Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “Let’s be honest, they are not that far. Because Samson got a chance, but he could not make use of that. Shreyas Iyer is also going 50-50, his Australian tour has not been that great, in fact, I will call it a slightly disappointing tour. So if we see from that point of view and Manish Pandey’s place is also not fully cemented.”
He concluded, “So, both Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan are knocking the doors, and considering the number of our players that are getting injured, I feel they might even get to play against England. I don’t think both of them are too far, but if they have another good IPL, which they had in IPL 2020, and if even the 2021 edition goes good, then you will definitely see them play international cricket.”
Noteworthy, India will play five T20Is against England starting from February to March.