Aakash Chopra Expresses Disappointment Over Resting Senior Players, Says 'It Is Important For The Team To Play Together'

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra was not impressed with the team management and selectors’ decision to rest senior players for the first two ODIs against Australia. Aakash Chopra emphasized the importance of playing together as a team ahead of the World Cup.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar recently named two separate squads for the upcoming series against Australia at home. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav have been given rest for the first two games and will return for the final match of the series.

They Haven’t Played A Lot Of Cricket – Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra pointed out that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have played limited matches after the IPL 2023 and WTC final.

“I feel it is important for the team to play together and continuously at that. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened due to injury issues to players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah,” Chopra said.

“In between, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rested a lot. They did not play in entire August. In fact, after the IPL, they haven’t played a lot. They played the WTC final. In the two Test matches (in West Indies), there were 6-8 days of cricket and nothing after that.

“From June till end of September, they have not played a lot of cricket. If they had played together, it would have been good. That’s my personal opinion,” he added.

Wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul has been named the captain of the national team for the first two games, with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja serving as the deputy. Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin has been included in the squad despite not playing in ODIs since January last year.

A Big Opportunity For Shreyas Iyer – Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra highlighted that the first two games will provide a significant opportunity for Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma, considering that teams have the flexibility to make changes until September 27.

“The series against Australia is a significant opportunity for Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma as well, if he gets a chance,” Chopra further added.

“It’s also a big opportunity for Shreyas Iyer, who did not play the Asia Cup final. There is still time as teams can make changes to their World Cup squad till September 27. A lot will depend on the first two ODIs,” he concluded.