Can't Think Of Chetan Sakariya Straightaway As An Option For The T20 World Cup: Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra does not see left-arm seamer Chetan Sakariya in the squad for the T20 World Cup. Chetan Sakariya made his international debut in the third and final ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo and impressed the fraternity. However, Aakash Chopra believes it’s difficult to pick him for the World Cup based on only one performance.

Chetan Sakariya earned praises for his bowling and fielding performance in the first phase of IPL 2021 for the Rajasthan Royals. The left-arm seamer picked seven wickets in as many matches at 31.71. In his debut, Sakariya ended with figures of 8-0-34-2 as a new-ball bowler, albeit in a losing cause.

Aakash Chopra believes Chetan Sakariya offering the left-arm angle could be advantageous in the World Cup; however, he wants to keep the analysis balanced. The 43-year old acknowledged the youngster’s excellent performance in tough conditions despite being inexperienced. However, Aakash reminded that after only one good performance, one should not consider him for the T20 World Cup.

“Chetan Sakariya’s variations and left-arm angle could be an advantage but we should never take our eyes off the big picture and analyze everything in a balanced manner. He played the first game here, which is in itself a tough job. He has only played 10 List A matches and then got just a 2-over spell upfront on debut. Coming back from all that and still performing well is an arduous task and he did all that so you earmark him as a good bowler and observe his development. But you can’t, after just one good performance, think of him straightaway as an option for the T20 World Cup,” Chopra told ESPN Cricinfo.

You should pick those guys you have observed and analyzed for a long time: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra further stated the selectors should pick only those players for an ICC event who they have observed for a long time. The cricketer-turned-commentator believes Sakariya is an excellent prospect for the future and feels wildcard entries in the global events hardly impress.

“When you pick a 15-member team for an ICC event, I believe you should pick those guys you have observed and analyzed for a long time. When you find someone out-of-the-box, mark him for the future and not for the present. We have the example of Vijay Shankar from 2019 and Dinesh Mongia before that. There’s always one wildcard entry in every World Cup and Chetan Sakariya might be the one this time, but, I have never seen any wildcard perform well yet,” he added.

Also Read: David Warner Picks His Triple Century Against Pakistan As His Favorite Innings