IND VS SA: Aakash Chopra Believes Dinesh Karthik Would Not Be In The Playing XI Against South Africa

Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah are among the seasoned players who have been rested by the Indian think tank for the upcoming T20I series against South Africa.

KL Rahul has been named captain of Team India in the absence of Rohit Sharma, while wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik has returned to the fold following a successful season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

Karthik improved his selection case with a series of vital cameos for RCB at the IPL 2022, finishing as one of the finest finishers in the 15th season of the cash-rich tournament.

Karthik is poised to cause problems for the Indian selection committee since the Rahul Dravid-coached side already has Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant as front runners for the wicketkeeper position.

I Do Not Think Kuldeep Yadav Or Dinesh Karthik Will Get To Play: Aakash Chopra

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra picked India’s probable starting XI for the T20I series against South Africa on his YouTube channel in response to India’s roster announcement for the South Africa series. Dinesh Karthik and Kuldeep Yadav were left out of his probable playing XI for the South Africa T20Is.

 “What is the composition of the XI you are going to see? I feel you might see Ishan Kishan opening alongside KL Rahul. But there are a lot of keepers, so he might not open, you can open with Ruturaj Gaikwad and not Ishan Kishan, that’s a choice,” Chopra said.

“After that, you will keep Axar Patel in the team because you want a little depth in the batting. So Axar as a left-arm spinner and a batter. If you play Axar, you will only be able to play Yuzi Chahal,” Chopra added.

Shreyas Iyer and Deepak Hooda, according to the former India cricketer, should surely be included in the Indian playing XI against the Proteas. In the Indian middle-order department, Chopra also chose Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya as automatic starters.

Aakash Chopra’s Probable XI For The South Africa Series:

KL Rahul (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad/Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Deepak Hooda, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh/Harshal Patel, Umran Malik/Avesh Khan.

Also Read: IND vs SA: “You Will Regret Later” – Aakash Chopra On Selectors Picking 18-member India Squad For T20I Series Vs South Africa