IND vs SA: I Would Not Play Ajinkya Rahane Even If You Have 6 Batters - Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra stated that he would not include out-of-form middle-order batsman, Ajinkya Rahane, even if India opts to play with six regular batsmen in their side for the first Test against South Africa.

Ahead of the Boxing Day Test, there are a lot of things for the Indian think tank to consider. Although the bowling attack seems to be fixed with the only issue being between playing Ishant Sharma or Mohammed Siraj, the batting order is what poses the biggest problem for India.

“The biggest question for the Indian team is how many batters to play. I will not play Rahane even if you play six batters. I am going with Hanuma Vihari because you had sent him to South Africa, just to get some form and to get acclimatized, and he scored runs.”

“You gave Shreyas Iyer a debut and he made a century and a fifty and consolidated his position. Rahane, of course, is the senior guy but he is no longer the vice-captain. I would like to play six batters, and I would like to play Shreyas Iyer and Hanuma Vihari,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

However, if the team opts to play five bowlers as KL Rahul had hinted, then Chopra thinks Shardul Thakur is the best choice. Thakur has taken 14 wickets in 3 matches and has scored two fifties in tough English conditions.

“KL Rahul said they wanted to play five bowlers. If you want to play five bowlers, you will play Shami, Bumrah, Siraj, you will have to play Shardul Thakur – you cannot go with two spinners, and Ravichandran Ashwin,” Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra’s playing XI for the first Test:

Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, and Mohammed Siraj.

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