Aakash Chopra has looked into India’s batting order’s top-heavy difficulties. Due to the lack of experience and form in the middle order, the former opener believes that two of the top three batsmen – Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Virat Kohli – must perform well in every game or the team will struggle relentlessly.
In the wake of India’s 10-wicket loss against Pakistan on Sunday, Aakash Chopra made the statement. In the powerplay overs, both Rohit and Rahul were removed. Kohli, the captain, batted almost alone, striking a 49-ball 57. Rishabh Pant blasted a much-needed aggressive 39 for the second-highest score in the innings. Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Hardik Pandya were also flattered.
“Rishabh doesn’t have that reputation in this format that you expect from him. SKY has just started playing international cricket. With due respect, he hasn’t scored a lot of runs of late. There was that one inning but it’s his first World Cup and he’s still slightly untested against top-quality bowling.” Aakash Chopra said
Hardik Pandya
“Hardik Pandya is not in form so if your no.4, 5, and 6 are not as reliable as your no.1, 2, and 3. If they are 100. You are not even 50 then this means that your cream is at the top and if you make a mistake there, you’ll find it difficult to recover. So India will have to fix this in their minds. That the top three will have to perform every single time. At least two in three must always fire and if that doesn’t happen, you’ll see them struggle always.” He added
Despite the middle-order problem, India managed to score 151-7 in Dubai. However, the Men in Green were able to chase down the goal in 17.5 overs thanks to a spirited batting display by Mohammed Rizwan (79 off 55) and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam (68 off 52) and an uninspiring bowling performance by India.
In Group 2 of the tournament, India will face New Zealand, Afghanistan, Scotland, and Namibia, in that order. While the Rohit-Rahul-Kohli combo remains the “greatest in the world,” Aakash Chopra also stated that New Zealand’s bowlers will present a similar route to Pakistan, which India must be careful of.
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