Aakash Chopra believes that Hardik Pandya is unlikely to be named India’s captain for the T20 World Cup later this year, citing concerns about his fitness.
Pandya, who sustained an ankle injury during India’s 2023 World Cup match against Bangladesh, hasn’t played competitive cricket since. He is reported to be unavailable for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan and is expected to return to action in IPL 2024.
In a video posted on his YouTube channel, Chopra expressed the view that Hardik Pandya’s fitness issues could likely exclude him from consideration for the captaincy role in the T20 World Cup. He explained:
“Hardik will probably not be the captain because there is an issue regarding fitness. You are not playing currently. As You twisted your ankle in the World Cup. You are not playing the Afghanistan series and you don’t play Tests in any case, so you will straightaway play the IPL. It’s going against him.”
The ex-Indian opener anticipates Rohit Sharma leading the team at the global event, even though the team’s batting performances were less than impressive during his captaincy in the last edition. He said:
“I feel Rohit Sharma will be doing T20I captaincy and will also be the captain for the 2024 T20 World Cup. If you had asked this question after the 2022 T20 World Cup, it was almost certain he wouldn’t be the captain, considering the way the team performed as we were scoring 60 runs in the first 10 overs.”
Chopra observed that Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli comprised India’s top three in the 2022 T20 World Cup, consistently scoring at a run-a-ball against almost every opponent. He recognized that some prominent players might not have been in consideration if decisions were made at that point.
“You played very well and reached the final” – Aakash Chopra highlights the importance of the 2023 World Cup for Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul
Aakash Chopra highlighted the transformative impact of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul in the 2023 ODI World Cup through their stellar performances. He elaborated:
“However, time elapsed and none of these players played T20Is for India. The ODI World Cup happened, where you played very well and reached the final. Rohit Sharma gave explosive starts, Virat Kohli was the Player of the Tournament, and KL Rahul did an amazing job down the order.”
The former cricketer turned commentator predicts that India’s lineup for the 2024 T20 World Cup will closely resemble the one that participated in the previous edition of the tournament. He expressed:
“Suddenly you say that everyone is doing well. So I feel, giving weightage to recent form, it will be an almost identical team. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will be there and I won’t be surprised if KL Rahul is also there.”
Chopra expressed his view that the uncertainty regarding Rishabh Pant’s availability could increase Rahul’s chances of making it to the T20 World Cup squad.
He further noted that Ishan Kishan, another strong contender for the wicketkeeper-batter position, is more adept as an opener, a slot that might not be open.
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