England have won all their four games while Team India has won only two.
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra feels that Team India has a lot to learn from the way England does their selection process for the T20Is.
Team India didn’t perform as per the expectations in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2021 as they were pounded by Pakistan and New Zealand in their first two matches of the tournament.
They did stage a dominant comeback by thumping Afghanistan and Scotland but two big losses against Pakistan and New Zealand dented their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals and are now dependent on the results of other teams to go their way.
Read Also: "Senior players can be given a break - Sehwag; names 5 players to be groomed for next World Cup
On the other hand, England has been the most dominant side in Group 1 of the T20 World Cup 2021. The Eoin Morgan-led side crushed West Indies in their first match of the marquee tournament and then followed it with the thumping victories over Bangladesh, Australia and Sri Lanka respectively.
With four victories in their four matches, England is at its destructive best and it is almost certain that they will see themselves in the semi-finals of the mega event.
Answering a question from a fan on his YouTube channel on how England have managed to perform well in the ongoing World Cup in absence of big names like Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes and whether India has something to learn from.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra said that England goes with philosophy and have their priorities crystal clear. He stressed the fact that the Eoin Morgan-led side selected players as per the demand of format.
“This team goes with a philosophy. England has their priorities crystal clear and everyone seems to be moving in the same direction. They picked all-rounders by looking at performances from the county circuit, the Natwest T20 blast and The Hundred. They selected only white-ball players as per the demands of the format,” Aakash Chopra said in a video posted on his YouTube channel.
Chopra pointed out that England did not take into consideration the Test performances of their players. He while criticising India’s selection policy cited the example of Joe Root, saying that had he been an Indian player he would’ve captained the T20 team even if he had a strike rate of 125.
“England did not take into consideration Test performances, no matter how good they were. Look at Joe Root’s case. If Joe Root was an Indian, do you think he would not have been part of the Indian T20 squad?
“I can give you in writing that Root would have been part of the team even if he had a strike rate of 125. He might even have been the captain of the T20 team. This is what India is all about. That is not how England thinks," he said.
Chopra explained England’s “horses for courses" policy saying that their priorities are very clear and that is why even in the absence of key players there is someone else who fit into that role quickly.
Read Also: Wasim Jaffer explains qualification scenario for India and Australia through a meme
He added that Team India needs to learn from England’s policy in picking their squads for the respective formats.
“They have a horses for courses policy. Dawid Malan is in the T20 squad but doesn’t play too many Tests. Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid have been told what is expected of them. Their priorities are very clear. That is why even if some players are missing, there is someone else who can get into that role very quickly and seamlessly.
“India will have to learn from this. You cannot make strategies centered around individuals. They should have a philosophy in place and fit the other things in. This is a subcontinent culture where individuals are given preference, which we need to move away from,” he said.