After the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a 16-member Indian T20I squad for the three-match series against New Zealand, former cricketer Aakash Chopra highlighted a running concern in the selection process. Calling it a ‘fundamental flaw’, Chopra insisted that India are taking a step into the future and need to be careful in how they select the squad.
The T20I series against New Zealand marks the beginning of Rohit Sharma as T20I captain, as well as Rahul Dravid as the head coach of the men’s senior team.
"It's a fundamental flaw in our system. I'm going to highlight this, because now, you're thinking about the future. The players you select in T20Is, you should pick them for the slot which are available, and where the selected players have scored runs,” Chopra said on his official Twitter account.
"You give preference to IPL performances which is good, but if you pick a player who has made runs as an opener for, say, number 5 spot in the international team, that won't work. He has scored all runs as an opener, how can you expect him to perform similarly lower down the order?” Chopra said.
{{/usCountry}}"You give preference to IPL performances which is good, but if you pick a player who has made runs as an opener for, say, number 5 spot in the international team, that won't work. He has scored all runs as an opener, how can you expect him to perform similarly lower down the order?” Chopra said.
{{/usCountry}}Chopra listed five openers in the Indian T20I squad for the New Zealand series – Rohit, KL Rahul, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ishan Kishan and Venkatesh Iyer. The former Indian cricketer mentioned that Rohit and Rahul – the new vice-captain of the T20I side – are likely to play all games of the series, which makes little room for the remaining openers in the XI.
"We have 5 openers in the Indian team for the squad against New Zealand. We have only 3 matches; how many opportunities can you give? Rohit and Rahul are obviously going to play -- they are the captain and vice-captain respectively,” said Chopra.
The T20I series begins on November 17 in Jaipur, with the remaining two games scheduled to be played in Ranchi and Kolkata. The series also marks the return of international cricket in India after seven months.