Aakash Chopra picked India's T20 squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022, dropped Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma
The former Indian cricketer, Aakash Chopra has picked his Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 which is going to be held in Australia.
Aakash Chopra added some unexpected names squad considering the performances of the players in this edition of the Indian Premier League. Moreover, he also removed the premium batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli from the squad.
He revealed his probable Indian squad on his official YouTube channel, saying, "The first name I am keeping is KL Rahul. He can play till 15-17 overs, he is a T20 gun batter and scored more than 600 runs this year. I have kept Ishan Kishan along with him. If you see his numbers, you will say it was not that bad a season for Ishan Kishan."
"At No. 3, I have kept Rahul Tripathi. He played very well this, strike rate has been very high, and given match-winning performances. At No. 4, I have kept SKY. He has not played all the games but he has played at a different level in the matches he played," he added.
I have given a spot to Dinesh Karthik: Aakash Chopra
After picking those, Aakash Chopra once again surprised everyone, as he named Hardik Pandya as the skipper of the side. "After that, my Player of the Tournament. I have made Hardik Pandya the captain of the team.
He can play in the middle and be a finisher as well. After that, I have given a spot to Dinesh Karthik and he is my wicketkeeper as well. He has run at a strike rate of 180-190 and finished a lot of matches."
The former Indian cricketer has dropped both Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja who have a lot of experience in the Australian backyard. "At No. 7, I have kept Krunal Pandya because he has had a very good season.
He has been very economical as a bowler and scored crucial runs as a batter. He can bat up and down the order. You require a left-hander in the middle," said Aakash Chopra.
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Moreover, he has dropped Bhuvneshwar Kumar who has been very economical among the pacers bowled in this edition of the Indian Premier League.
"After that, Yuzi Chahal has to be by my side. Then I have three fast bowlers and the fourth fast bowler is Hardik Pandya - Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, and Arshdeep Singh. I am seeing this as the XI," he further added.
Here is the Indian squad picked by Aakash Chopra:
KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (captain), Dinesh Karthik (wicket-keeper), Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Sanju Samson, Harshal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Avesh Khan, Deepak Hooda.