Former India opener-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra recently enlisted five batsmen who could replace Suresh Raina in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad for the 2020 edition of Indian Premier League, starting September 19.
Last week, Raina opted out of the cash-rich tournament citing “personal reasons” and since then speculations on his replacement have been doing the rounds.
In a video posted on his Youtube channel, Aakash picked the five Indian batsmen who could serve as alternatives to Raina and he started with Yusuf Pathan, who has previously turned out for Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders and SunRisers Hyderabad.
In 174 IPL matches, Pathan has scored 3204 runs at a strike-rate of 142.97 with 1 century and 13 fifties.
“I am going to start with Yusuf Pathan. He has done well in T20s but was not picked in the auction for this year’s IPL,” Chopra said.
“You might need a finisher along with MS Dhoni, so Yusuf Pathan could be that guy for Chennai Super Kings,” he added.
Manoj Tiwary, who has played for Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Rising Pune Supergiants and Kings XI Punjab in the past, was Aakash Chopra’s second pick.
In 98 IPL games, Tiwary has 1695 runs to his name at a strike-rate of 116.98 with 7 half-centuries.
“The second option is Manoj Tiwary. His IPL career has not been very glamorous but he has played quite a few important knocks,” he said.
Hanuma Vihari, who went unsold at the IPL 2020 auction, was next in the last of batsmen picked by Aakash Chopra to replace Raina in the CSK squad.
Vihari has amassed only 284 runs in 24 IPL games, having played for SRH and DC in the past.
“Another player is Hanuma Vihari. I was surprised when he was not bought in this auction. Because if you think of him in the last 12-18 months, he has made his place in Test cricket including a century at No.6 and the way he has scored,” he commented.
Chopra named Dhruv Shorey and Cheteshwar Pujara as last two options to replace Suresh Raina.
Shorey has featured in only two IPL games so far for the Chennai Super Kings, while Pujara has played 30 matches with the last one coming in 2014.
“Another one is former CSK member Dhruv Shorey. He was a part of the team but hardly got a couple of opportunities. He is a good player and although his first-class season may not have been excellent this year, the player has potential,” he said.
“Last but not the least, I am going with Cheteshwar Pujara. The thing in his favour is that he plays spin well. But the thing that goes against him is that he is not a very good fielder. Also he is a top-order batsman and not a finisher,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
