Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra voiced his dissatisfaction with the decision by team management and selectors to rest senior players for the first two ODIs against Australia. Chopra emphasized the significance of the team playing together as they prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
The Chief Selector, Ajit Agarkar, recently announced two separate squads for the upcoming home series against Australia. Senior players such as Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav will be rested for the first two matches and are set to return for the final game of the series.
Chopra highlighted that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have played a limited number of matches since the conclusion of the IPL 2023 and the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
“I feel it is important for the team to play together and continuously at that. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened due to injury issues to players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah,” Chopra said.
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Wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul has been appointed as the captain of the national team for the initial two matches, with all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja serving as the vice-captain. Notably, Ravichandran Ashwin has been included in the squad despite not participating in ODIs since January of the previous year.
Chopra stressed that the initial two games present a significant opportunity for players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma, given that teams have the flexibility to make changes until September 27.
“The series against Australia is a significant opportunity for Ruturaj Gaikwad, Suryakumar Yadav, and Tilak Varma, as well as Shreyas Iyer, who did not play in the Asia Cup final. There is still time as teams can make changes to their World Cup squad until September 27. A lot will depend on the first two ODIs,” he concluded.