IND vs WI: No Blame For Team Management - Aakash Chopra Opens Up On India's Batting Experimentation

Former cricketer Aakash Chopra opened up about the experimentation with India’s batting lineup during the recently-concluded ODI series against the West Indies.

Aakash Chopra emphasised that the current Indian team management forced them to make such experiments.

Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were demoted from the batting lineup during the first ODI. The veteran batters were rested for the remaining matches in the series.

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However, the Men in Blue managed to secure the three-match series with a margin of 2-1 in the absence of seniors.

The Hands Are Tied – Aakash Chopra

During an interaction organised by JioCinema, Aakash Chopra highlighted that India tried three different batters at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions in three games.

“The hands are tied. Because I was critical of the team when they experimented too much in the ODI series, when they had three different batters at no. 3 and 4 in three different games,” Aakash Chopra said.

“And you start asking questions, what is the team going to do. Then the thought popped, are these guys not going to be available. Just a thought. That’s what we discussed in Match-centre as well,” he added.

Suryakumar Yadav batted at No.3 in the series opener, while Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad batted in the second and third games, respectively. Samson scored a half-century at No. 4 in the final game of the series.

India Are In A Tight Spot – Aakash Chopra

The former Indian opener emphasized that the team management should not be blamed for the experimentation, citing the uncertainty surrounding the comebacks of KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer.

“Will Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul be available? Or is there an insight that these might not be available and these guys are scrambling for options. The latter seems to be the case if we are to believe the latest reports,” he further stated.

“In this case you don’t blame. I don’t think it is by design. I think they are clutching the straws, that whatever we have, make the most of it, with the hope that all out main guys will be fit. I don’t blame the team management at all. India are in a tight spot,” he concluded.

According to a recent PTI report, KL Rahul is likely to miss the Asia Cup, while Shreyas Iyer’s participation in the ODI World Cup 2023 remains uncertain.