KL Rahul and Murali Vijay Should be the Openers in England Tour: Aakash Chopra

The tour of England will be a huge opportunity for Team Indian to prove their credentials in testing conditions. It is expected to be a close encounter between the two formidable sides. The current Indian side has gone from strength to strength in the recent times. After a pretty mediocre performance the last time around, India will be eager to change their fortunes around. Despite taking a 1-0 lead after the first two matches, India went on to lose the series 3-1.

They have a pretty strong side this time around which is expected to give England a sterner challenge than last time. They will surely look to erase their memories from the past and look to win the Test series in England. During an exclusive interview with India TV, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra spoke at length on different aspects of the game and what it takes to win the series in England. He also revealed the opening combination which he would like to see in the England Test series.

He picked Murali Vijay and KL Rahul to open the innings in England ahead of Dhawan. “To get your opening combination right is always a priority because if you get a good start then you will most probably get the result in your way,” Chopra was quoted as saying by IndiaTV during ‘Cricket Ki Baat’ show.

“My openers in England will be Murali Vijay and KL Rahul. I will go with Vijay because he has performed consistently well overseas… he is my blue-chip stock. He has scored a ton at the Gabba, he also scored runs at Lord’s, so I feel he is certain to play. Coming to Rahul, I think the way he is playing at the moment and plus the ability he has got, there’s no doubt and debate on who should open for India in England,” the former Indian opener added.

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Rahul is the 2nd best batsman in the Indian team 

Chopra also stated that Rahul is the 2^nd best batsman in the Indian team after Virat Kohli and should be given a chance in the playing XI for all the 5 Tests of the series. However, it will depend on the selectors and the captain on what combination he wants to play on that particular day. “There’s no debate that Rahul should get more chances. I feel he should play all the five Tests. In 2014, Kohli also played all the matches… he failed to score a fifty in 10 innings but you decided to show faith in him and now you have got the benefits. I feel Rahul has also got the same ability and in opinion, he is right now India’s No.2 skilled batsman across all formats after Kohli,” Chopra said.

He also feels that Rahul should start converting his fifties into big hundreds. During Australia’s tour of India last year, Rahul managed to smash 6 half-centuries but was unable to convert any of them into a big hundred. “Out of the eight consecutive half-centuries KL Rahul scored, he should have converted at least two of them to big hundreds. There shouldn’t be different yardsticks for different players.”

Chopra hails Murali Vijay 

Chopra also heaped praises on Murali Vijay and said that the solid top-order batsman will continue to score runs in testing conditions in England. “I have given a middle name to Murali Vijay and that is ‘balance’. You will never find him off balance. He has got such a good idea of his off stump… he knows what deliveries he has to leave and the one he has to play. He plays close to his body… the kind of qualities you want in a Test opener, you find those in Vijay,” Chopra was quoted as saying during the interview.

Chopra is of the opinion that the England tour will serve as a huge opportunity for India to showcase their skills in testing conditions. “India vs England will definitely be a great series to watch. I see this series as a big opportunity for Indian cricket… it will be challenging but at the same time, it’s an opportunity. All the Indian players have been to England before and are aware of the conditions there. They didn’t do well on their last tour to England in 2014 but they managed to win a Test match at Lord’s. However, I can sense a turnaround this time.”

This Indian team is better than the last which toured 

Chopra was also of the opinion that the current team is better than the one which toured last time. “I feel this Indian team is better than the last one which toured England. Virat Kohli has become a completely different player altogether in the last four years. Murali Vijay scored runs last time and he will score this time as well. You also have KL Rahul, who was not there last time. Cheteshwar Pujara has returned from his County stint and is more mature now as a player. Also, you have got Ajinkya Rahane in the middle.”

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It will be a big opportunity for India says Chopra 

While he praised the Indian team, Chopra also pointed out the flaws in the English team. There are certainly areas in which England should improve on ahead of the tough tour. “If you look at your opponents, you will find a lot of weaknesses in their squad. Veteran batsman Alastair Cook is a setting sun now… he is on the downhill. They settle their opening woes… their middle order to looks shaky. Their bowling… Stuart Broad and James Anderson are not the same force. I feel if India fails to win this Test series, they will end up cursing themselves.”

Chopra concluded by passing the Indian bowlers who have been a big reason behind their success in the longest format in the recent past.  “If you see our bowling, it is the strength of the team, which was not the case earlier. Your bowlers win your Test matches. Your fast bowlers are picking 20 wickets be it Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami or Jasprit Bumrah. Then you have Ishant Sharma, who won you the Lord’s Test in 2014… he is still there in England playing for his County team. If you see this team, you will feel that this team should perform well,” Chopra concluded.