Amidst the rising calls for Rishabh Pant to open the innings for India in the three-match T20I series in New Zealand, former Indian batter and commentator Aakash Chopra came up with a different suggestion as he named his preferred choice for the Men in Blue at the top.
As India’s regular openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul were rested for the New Zealand tour, Hardik Pandya and VVS Laxman will have to pick between Pant and Ishan Kishan to join Gill as another opener in the T20I series, and every cricket fraternity wants to see the young keeper as the opener.
Well, after India’s T20 World Cup 2022 debacle, the T20I team can expect multiple changes, including at the top of the order, and Aakash Chopra feels Prithvi Shaw can be an explosive opener for the side. He doesn’t think Pant should be India's first choice as an opener if a transition happens in the T20I side.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “The first option which comes to my mind is Prithvi Shaw. The guy is naturally destructive, he is disruptive. A lot of people turn back and say that he is not fit, I am saying check his numbers, he is the guy who just takes off.”
He added, “If you want a rocket start, he is an absolute rocket, he simply flies. I am not saying he will fly in every match. Jos Buttler, Alex Hales or anyone else is also not seen flying in every match.”
The commentator also spoke on the possibility of Ishan taking the number two spot in Team India’s T20I set-up, but he wasn’t sure he would give an explosive start to the side.
Chopra signed off by saying, “At No. 2, I think about Ishan Kishan, a short left-handed destructive batter. Once in a while, he goes into a different scheme of things. When he was with the Mumbai Indians and there was some pressure on him, he started to take singles and play a new role.”
