'The form he is in, 2021 is his year': Aakash Chopra names India batsman who 'can leave anyone behind' in Sri Lanka

Ahead of the start of the India vs Sri Lanka series, former batsman Aakash Chopra has listed five players from the squad who he feels could set the tournament on fire.

Ahead of the start of the India vs Sri Lanka series, former batsman Aakash Chopra has listed five players from the squad who he feels could set the tournament on fire. India's pool of players in Sri Lanka comprises mostly youngsters, besides senior players such as Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal and Hardik Pandya. There are as many as five uncapped cricketers in the squad and several youngsters, out of which Chopra has picked five to watch out for.

From Left: Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw. (Getty Images)

Chopra' first two players are Varun Chakravarthy and Prithvi Shaw. The former India opener feels Chakravarthy's mystery spin makes him a strong contender, and as far as Shaw is concerned, he is expected to light up the series given the kind of form he has been in. Shaw scored 827 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and looked in exemplary form in the IPL, where he piled up over 300 runs in just eight matches for Delhi Capitals.

"The first name on my list is someone who has never played international cricket. His name is Varun Chakravarthy. If we see the Indian bowling department, a mystery spinner is not there. Once you have a mystery spinner, you feel your bowling is complete," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.

"The second player I am thinking about is Prithvi Shaw. Given the form he is in, 2021 is his year. He can leave anyone behind when he is batting, you can put any Indian batsman at the other end. If he shines, that will be fantastic."

The other three players Chopra is keen to follow are Suryakumar Yadav, Deepak Chahar and one of the wicket-keeper batsmen in Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. While Surya is a top candidate to bat for India at No.3, while it will be interesting to see who among Chopra and Samson gets the nod to play as the wicketkeeper.

"At number three, I have kept Suryakumar Yadav. He has been absolutely sensational, there is no doubt about that. The ability to bat both up and down the order separates him from the rest. He has got the all-round game," Chopra said.

"At number four, I have kept Deepak Chahar. Generally, he always plays in the T20s but if we see the last series, he was in the team but was not given a chance. He is the same bowler who has the world record. He can do well in the ODIs as well.

"Last but not the least, there is a toss-up between Ishan Kishan and Sanju Samson. When you see towards the Indian team, you have KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant as the wicket-keeper options, but you might need an additional batsman."