Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has chosen his playing XI for the Indian team for the second Test in Mumbai. The first Test ended in a draw courtesy of some resilient batting from the Kiwi tailenders. This match thus becomes the decider for the two-match series. Virat Kohli will return in the playing Xi as the skipper of the side.
There are a few changes expected in the Indian playing XI, however, Aakash Chopra has gone ahead with the more expected lineup.
Ajinkya Rahane To Make Way For Virat Kohli: Aakash Chopra
While speaking about his playing XI on his Youtube channel, Aakash Chopra has backed Ajinkya Rahane to make way for Virat Kohli in the playing XI. Rahane scored 35 and 4 in the two innings of the first Test and looked nervous with the bat. In the process, he has backed Cheteshwwar Pujara to hold his place in the lineup.
“Rahul Dravid was asked what about Ajinkya Rahane and Shreyas Iyer. He said it is a little too early for him to decide. But the time has come now, you will have to find the answer. If you talk about justice, Ajinkya Rahane goes out and Virat Kohli comes in, and Shreyas Iyer plays if you want to go in with five batters, this is the way to go” said Chopra.
The former India cricketer believes in-form Shreyas Iyer can’t be left out considering the state of the Indian batting. Iyer scored a century and a 50 on his debut Test and became just the first Indian cricketer to achieve this feat. He was the 16th Indian overall to hit a ton in his debut Test match.
“The way India has batted, let’s be fair we were 51/5 in the second innings and we were 145/4 in the first innings as well, so we are not batting that well at all. So if you are not batting well, you should not drop the one person who is in form. In my opinion, you should play Shreyas Iyer.”
Chopra has backed Wriddhiman Saha to play in the XI despite KS Bharat showing his skills with the gloves in the first Test. Saha, on the other hand, scored a defining fifty in the second innings despite a troubled neck.
Coming down to the bowling attack, Aakash Chopra has asked the management to field all the three spinners. Among the pacers, he preferred Mohammed Siraj over Ishant Sharma in the line-up.
“You should play all three spinners. There will definitely be some help for the fast bowlers on this pitch but then it is the Wankhede pitch, there will definitely be turn and bounce on this pitch, eventually it will turn into a good turning surface. In the two fast bowlers, you will have to play Mohammed Siraj instead of Ishant. Umesh Yadav will surely play. So this is the XI that can be seen”
Aakash Chopra’s India Playing XI For 2nd Test
Shubman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj
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