Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra names the bowlers he thinks are in contention for a spot in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup in UAE.

The primary team is currently in England for a 5-match Test series. Therefore, a secondary squad was assembled to tour Sri Lanka simultaneously for a white-ball series. The series consists of 3 ODI’s and as many T20I’s and is set to kick off on July 13. There are as many as six uncapped players in the side looking to make an impression on the selectors ahead of the World Cup.

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Most of them are coming on the back of excellent domestic performances. But some of them have earned their spot on the back of good IPL seasons.

Aakash Chopra, who regularly posts his opinions on his YouTube channel, mentioned the possible fast bowlers who can make the side apart from the already established pacers.

Shami is the front-runner – Aakash Chopra

The Indian team has stocked up on fast bowlers in the last few years. There are plenty of options to pick from these days, but unfortunately, not all of them can make the squad. Aakash Chopra feels India might need a few spinners considering the T20 World Cup will happen in the UAE.

“There are three spinners in the squad – Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzi Chahal. Maybe you don’t need another spinner. But since the event is in UAE, there might be a lot of spin for purchase. Since Chahal’s stocks are going down, maybe one more spinner can be picked,” he assessed.

The four possible spin options according to Chopra are Axar Patel, Rahul Chahar, Krunal Pandya, and Varun Chakravarthy. Since Varun is in Sri Lanka for the white-ball series, he’ll be a good pick if he performs well according to the former cricketer.

Aakash Chopra feels the front-runner for the pace department alongside established bowlers Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Deepak Chahar is Mohammad Shami.

“Mohammed Shami – front-runner, he might not be there in Sri Lanka but is still a front-runner. Natarajan is injured and not there in Sri Lanka but is still one of the front-runners. Saini and Shardul are the last two options. I cannot think of anybody else at this point,” Chopra concluded.

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