As India prepares for the third T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare, former cricketer and renowned commentator Aakash Chopra has shared his thoughts on potential team changes. His insights, particularly regarding the possible replacement of centurion Abhishek Sharma with Yashasvi Jaiswal, have sparked debates.
The series has seen a rollercoaster of performances, with India losing the first T20I by 13 runs, followed by a commanding 100-run victory in the second match. The second game had a spectacular century from Abhishek, who smashed 100 runs off just 47 deliveries. This performance came after a duck in the opening game. Despite his heroics, Chopra believes that the team management might make the difficult decision to bring in Jaiswal.
"Yashasvi has come. So the big question will be whether Abhishek Sharma should be left out. It will hurt me a lot. However, there are precedents. If you see whether it has happened previously, Karun Nair scored a triple hundred and was dropped. Manoj Tiwary scored a hundred and was dropped," he said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra emphasised the complexity of the situation. The former believes that he won't be surprised if the team management brings in Jaiswal.
"There are a lot of people who were dropped after scoring a century in the last match because they were filling someone else's place. You might see Abhishek Sharma watching the match from outside this evening. It won't be a great thing because you are seeing him as India's future T20 star. It won't be right to drop him but I won't be surprised if it happens," Chopra added.
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Dhruv Jurel will go out and Sanju Samson will come into the team: Aakash Chopra
In addition to the change in the opening slot, Chopra predicted two more changes in the playing XI, as he expects Sanju Samson to replace Dhruv Jurel as the wicketkeeper-batter, citing Samson's involvement in the T20 World Cup squad as a factor. Furthermore, he anticipated Shivam Dube's inclusion at the expense of Riyan Parag, while advocating for Rinku Singh's retention.
"I feel the second change will be straightforward. There won't be much problem with that. Dhruv Jurel will go out and Sanju Samson will come into the team. Although Dhruv Jurel is not batting at Sanju's number, Sanju was part of the World Cup. He didn't get a chance to play there but you give him priority when he is part of the team," he said.
"Shivam Dube will play for sure. When Shivam Dube comes, Riyan Parag might have to go out because Rinku Singh shouldn't be touched. He hit fours and sixes in the last match and was part of the Indian team's touring party for the World Cup as well. So if someone goes out, it will be Riyan Parag," Chopra concluded.
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The commentator also touched upon Ruturaj Gaikwad's position, suggesting he will continue to bat at No. 3. Chopra noted Gaikwad's flexibility, having already sacrificed the opening position and captained India in the previous year's Asian Games.
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