After India won the first ODI, which was also the series opener, cricket analyst and former Indian team opener Aakash Chopra criticised the Indian team management for batting Ruturaj Gaikwad at number four, an ideally good position for Risabh Pant. Aakash Chopra thinks it is a confusion and a bad message for the players, and in all this chaos, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rishabh Pant fell in the middle of it.
Akash Chopra slammed Indian management and said that India can’t talk about building for 2027 while still experimenting blindly with players’ core roles.
Akash Chopra shared his disgust on his channel about the batting position of Ruturaj Gaikwad, where he never batted in the ODIs.
He said, “I really don’t understand what is going on. Ruturaj Gaikwad has never batted at No. 4 in ODIs. You sent him to that position, and he got out only because Dewald Brevis took a stunning catch.”
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Chopra also added that, “When he was dismissed, I literally folded my hands and said, Please give him three full chances. Even if he fails, don’t discard him immediately. Don’t judge him on just these three performances. His main job is to open the batting. Until you can give him that position, you don’t have any right to pass a verdict on his ODI career.”
Akash Chopra also shared his disgust about the non-inclusion of Rishabh Pant; he thinks he should play at number four whenever there is a slot free in ODIs.
Chopra said, “Now, Rishabh Pant - when will you actually play him? He is a pure middle-order batter, best suited at No.4 or No.5, and yet you don’t pick him even when there is space in the middle order. Instead, you send two players who have never batted in those positions.”
Akash Chopra urges that the team management should stop experimenting at this stage, and India should make a clear roadmap, and the management should use proven match winners at their go-to slot in the line-up.
