IND vs IRE: "He's Undroppable.."- Aakash Chopra names the Indian player who will play all matches of T20 World Cup 2024

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra shared his thoughts on the Rohit Sharma-led team's chances to secure the trophy in the T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and the USA. Aakash Chopra acknowledged that India haven't lived up to expectations in the last few editions of the T20 World Cup.

The T20 World Cup began with a match between the co-hosts USA and Canada at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on June 1 (local time). The home team secured a convincing seven-wicket victory in the tournament opener. The USA team successfully chased down the 195-run target with 14 balls to spare.

The Indian team will begin their World Cup campaign against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on Wednesday, June 5. The Men in Blue have failed to secure the title since their 2013 Champions Trophy win. They came close on a few occasions but failed to secure the trophy.

The Rohit Sharma-led team started their World Cup preparation with a 60-run victory in a warm-up match against Bangladesh on Saturday, June 1. The Indian team posted a challenging total of 182 runs for five wickets in 20 overs. The Indian bowlers restricted the opposition team to 122 runs in 20 overs.

We Haven't Been Up To The Mark - Aakash Chopra

Speaking to AB de Villiers on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra expressed optimism about the Indian team's prospects in the tournament. Chopra stated that India may have a potential advantage in the latter stages of the tournament in the West Indies, where pitch conditions could favor spinners.

"Well, it is not going to be easy for sure because we haven't played T20 cricket the way it is supposed to be played for the last few editions. Whether it was the one in Dubai, the one in Australia. We haven't been up to the mark but somehow we've found the same assembly of stars. So the batting order still looks the same, the bowling almost looks the same."

"So it is going to be tough but then I'm expecting the pitches in the West Indies, second part of the tournament at least, where the pitches may start holding up a little bit. Big ground, spinners may come into the picture and that is where India might have a slight advantage to actually do well," he said.

Your Friend Is Going To Open - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra predicted that Virat Kohli would open the batting with Rohit Sharma in the World Cup. The cricketer-turned-commentator stated that Yashasvi Jaiswal would be excluded from the playing XI. Chopra said that both Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube would feature in the lineup.

"I feel your friend, biscuit is going to open. He will be opening with Rohit and there will be no place for Yashasvi in the playing XI is what I understand. Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube both will be playing and Dube is almost undroppable in my opinion. He is the only guy who has been hitting sixes well," Chopra further stated.

Yashasvi Jaiswal wasn't included in India's lineup during the warm-up match. Wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson opened the innings alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. Virat Kohli wasn't featured in the team as he reached the USA just before the match.

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