(Source Youtube)
Aakash Chopra, the former Indian cricketer now known for his commentary, recently provided insights into India’s T20I team structure following the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the format. He stressed the urgency of finding new opening batsmen for the national team.
Chopra identified several potential contenders for the opening roles in Team India, such as Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Abhishek Sharma. Notably, he omitted Sanju Samson from his list of candidates to fill the void left by Rohit and Kohli in the T20I squad.
After the retirements of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from T20Is, Aakash Chopra weighs in on who could step up as India’s new openers.
Despite being part of India’s ICC T20 World Cup 2024 winning campaign, commentator Aakash Chopra indicated that he doesn’t envision Sanju Samson fitting into the opener’s role at present. It’s worth noting that Samson is included in India’s squad for the upcoming T20I series against Zimbabwe, commencing on July 6.
Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube channel: “Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have both left. If both have gone, it means you will search for openers. So, who are all the options available to you – Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Abhishek Sharma. I am not keeping Sanju Samson in it at the moment because I am not seeing him as an opener.”
Chopra emphasized the need to make initial decisions by selecting two players from the quartet and eventually settling on a trio for India’s T20I squad. He pointed out Yashasvi’s potential priority based on his inclusion in India’s victorious T20 World Cup 2024 squad, despite not featuring in any matches during the tournament held in the USA and West Indies.
Aakash Chopra favors new prospects over Sanju Samson for the opening slots in T20Is.
Subsequently, the cricket pundit highlighted Ruturaj Gaikwad as the leading choice, citing his standout performance in the recent T20I series against Australia. Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma completed the lineup, forming the remainder of Chopra’s proposed formula for India’s T20I squad selection.
Chopra added, “You will have to finalize three among these four eventually but before that, you will have to decide which two to play. If we go based on the pecking order, Yashasvi Jaiswal deserves it first because he has come after winning the World Cup. He didn’t play but he won. Then Ruturaj Gaikwad because he played very well in the last T20I series against Australia. Then Shubman Gill and then Abhishek Sharma. The equation should be something like that.”
Following their victory in the T20 World Cup 2024 in Barbados on June 29, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from T20I cricket, along with Ravindra Jadeja. This has created three vacancies in the Indian cricket team’s shorter format.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma will open for India in the first T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare, with Ruturaj Gaikwad slated for the No. 3 position. This setup suggests that Yashasvi Jaiswal may have to wait for his chance even upon joining the team in Harare.
