Former cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra isn’t pleased with India’s squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 as it didn’t include leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and an off-spinner.
The BCCI men's selection committee on Monday (August 21) announced India’s 15-member squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup, slated to be held in India from October 5 to November 19.
The squad featured Kuldeep Yadav as the premier wrist-spinner and Ravindra Jadeja and Akshar Patel as the two spinning all-rounders.
“I’m not surprised by the team selection, but I am a bit disappointed that they haven’t considered the need for Yuzvendra Chahal. We can’t play Jadeja and Akshar together. There will be situations where you face teams like Australia with many left-handed batsmen, and having an off-spinner option becomes crucial. Unfortunately, the team doesn’t have that now, and it seems like they haven’t thought about it thoroughly. I hope this decision doesn’t come back to haunt them in the future,” Chopra said in a conversation on JioCinema’s Cricket World Cup squad announcement show ‘Home of the Blues’.
The selectors have also shown faith in Shardul Thakur’s abilities as seam-bowling all-rounder and Aakash Chopra endorsed this decision.
“In an ideal scenario, you want your No. 9 player to bat a little bit. This is a strength that teams like Pakistan or England possess. Our problem is that our No. 9, 10, and 11 can’t bat to the level where you can have confidence in their abilities. Hypothetically, it’ll be Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, and Kuldeep Yadav in those positions. Additionally, we need a strong No. 8, for which we have Shardul Thakur. Why do you need a batter at No. 8? This is when you have a player or two in your top six whose form can’t be trusted. That’s when you want a little depth. There’s merit in having four proper bowlers and playing Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya as two all-rounders. It should work with two all-rounders and a third all-rounder is a luxury,” he said.
Aakash Chopra also spoke about the selectors’ decision to overlook veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan for the showpiece tournament.
“You can think about Shikhar Dhawan. He was our ODI giant. He has been a significant figure in the format for India, earning the nickname “Mr. ICC” for his consistent performances in ICC tournaments. Even though he’s not occupying our mind space right now, Shikhar Dhawan has done everything to find a place in an ODI setup.”
India’s World Cup squad:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shardul Thakur, Akshar Patel, Suryakumar Yadav
