IND Vs IRE: 'If Sanju Samson Doesn't Do Well Here..: Aakash Chopra's Colossal Prediction On WK Batter

Former Indian opener, Aakash Chopra named his top-six batting order for the upcoming 1st T20I match against Ireland on Friday (August 18) at 7:30 PM IST. While naming the batting order, the former batsman hit out at Sanju Samson and said that if the Keralite failed to perform in the match of the series then things will not go well for him.

The Men in Blues had a disappointing five-match T20I series against West Indies and lost it by 3-2 after India lost the fifth match by eight wickets. However, most of the senior players have been rested for Ireland and a few players like Rinku Singh are going to make their debut for India.

Sanju Samson has been through a lot of criticism during the West Indies series, as the player failed to make runs and help his side.

However, many cricket pundits backed him by saying that he is not getting his original spot at number three in the batting lineup.

Sanju Samson will have a lot of pressure on him since if he fails to perform in the Ireland series then he will have minimal chance to get selected for the forthcoming Asia Cup and ODI World Cup squad.

While speaking on his official YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad should open for the team since it is a good place to score as the boundaries are short. Chopra also added that it is a huge series for Gaikwad.

“Yashasvi Jaiswal alongside Ruturaj Gaikwad, I want to go with these two openers. This is a good place to score, both the straight and side boundaries are very short. The ball swings but the pitch is also flat. It is a huge series for Ruturaj Gaikwad,” Aakash Chopra said.

This story will not be hunky-dory: Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson

The 45-year-old said that he will play Sanju Samson at number three and even if he doesn’t perform at his original spot then things won’t be nice.

“If I want to play Jitesh Sharma, then I can keep Tilak Varma at No. 3. I can play Tilak at three in any case and bat Sanju down the order but when you have decided that you want to play Sanju Samson, play him at No. 3. If Sanju Samson doesn’t do well here, this story will not be hunky-dory,” Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra further added that he would play Tilak Varma at number four and at number five is reserved for the debutant, Rinku Singh.

“At No. 4, I have kept Tilak Varma. The truth is that there are so many left-handers in this team, that you are not able to find right-handers. At No. 5, I have kept the left-handed Rinku Singh,” Aakash Chopra further added.

Jasprit Bumrah who has just returned from injury will be leading India in the three-match T20I series against Ireland.