Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has selected an India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup based purely on the IPL 2022 performances. In a major surprise, the right-handed batter has left the current Indian skipper Rohit Sharma alongside the former skipper Virat Kohli out of the Indian squad.
While there is still enough time left in the T20 World Cup, a lot of inclusions and exclusions could happen on the Indian side by the mega-event arrives. However, Chopra picked the Indian side if the selectors have to pick the World Cup team solely based on the IPL 2022 performance. Hence, he has left out the names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant.
Aakash Chopra names Hardik Pandya the skipper of the World Cup squad
The former opener picked KL Rahul and Ishan Kishan as his openers, while he picked Rahul Tripathi at the number three to form the top order.
“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,” said Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Chopra then named Hardik Pandya as the skipper of the Indian side as the all-rounder led Gujarat Titans to the title triumph in the recently concluded IPL. He then named Dinesh Karthik as the wicketkeeper and the finisher of the Indians T20I team.
“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,” elaborated Aakash Chopra
The Delhi-batter selected Krunal Pandya as the spin-bowling all-rounder ahead of Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Meanwhile, he opted for Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal as the bowling unit.
“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. 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,” added Aakash Chopra.
Meanwhile, he concluded by naming Sanju Samson, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshal Patel, Deepak Hooda, and Jasprit Bumrah as the reserves of the World Cup squad.
Akash Chopra’s India’s T20 World Cup squad based on IPL 2022 performances
KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Tripathi, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (C), Dinesh Karthik, Krunal Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, Deepak Hooda, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshal Patel, and Jasprit Bumrah.
