Former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra has picked newly appointed ODI skipper Rohit Sharma as India’s best Test and T20I batsman in 2021. The BCCI appointed him as the new ODI skipper while announcing the Test squad against South Africa on December, 8. Rohit was also announced as the new vice-captain of the Test side as well.
Rohit Sharma has amassed 906 runs at an impressive average of 47.68 in Tests this year. In T20Is, India’s new limited-overs skipper has smashed 424 runs at an excellent average of 38.54, along with a terrific strike rate of 150.88.
In his latest video on his Youtube channel, Chopra praised Rohit Sharma’s consistency across formats.
“There are a lot of names that come to mind – Rishabh Pant’s name comes because he has scored a lot of runs. He was the one who helped conquer Gabba in the end. But my Test batter of the year has to be Rohit Sharma. He played defining knocks.”
“The conditions were difficult during England’s tour of India and he scored runs. The first innings of the second Test in Chennai – he was on one side and the entire team, including the opposition, was on the other side. The quality of batting that was on display. Then when he went to England, once again he kept on fighting and stood there. We saw a different style of Rohit Sharma’s batting” he further added.
Regarding speaking about Rohit’s T20I exploits, Aakash Chopra said that 2021 was his year with the bat.
“In T20Is, you think about Rahul but he has not scored that many runs. Kohli has also not scored that many runs. You will remember Suryakumar and Ishan Kishan’s names as well but in my opinion, once again it is Rohit Sharma.”
“He has been absolutely sensational” – Aakash Chopra on Ravichandran Ashwin
Aakash Chopra also picked Ravichandran Ashwin as India’s Test bowler of 2021. He has picked up 52 wickets so far with a Test match against South Africa to follow to round off the year. Ashwin is also the only bowler with over 50 wickets this year in the format.
“This has been a very interesting year. There was one bowler who took five 5-wicket hauls; his name is Bapu. Then we saw the rise of Mohammed Siraj – he bowled amazingly well. Jasprit Bumrah was also doing well in England, but my Indian Test bowler of 2021 has to be Ravichandran Ashwin. He has been absolutely sensational,” said Chopra.
Get the latest cricket news here and like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
