Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has expressed his concerns over KL Rahul’s exclusion from the Indian squad for the upcoming T20I series against Afghanistan. Chopra questioned the decision, especially considering Rahul’s strong performances in the ICC Cricket World Cup last year. He also highlighted the underwhelming performances of both Rahul and opener Rohit Sharma during the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced a 16-player roster for the T20I series against Afghanistan, with Rohit and Virat Kohli making a return to the side after the T20 World Cup. However, KL Rahul was overlooked, and Chopra questioned the reasoning behind this decision.
Chopra argued that if the team’s selection was based on the performances in the previous T20 World Cup, both Rohit and Rahul did not perform well. He pointed out that both players had similar records in the tournament. However, since then, both batsmen have done well, particularly in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Chopra believed that Rahul deserved a place in the squad, especially considering his ability to keep wickets and bat in the middle order.
During the T20 World Cup 2022, Rohit scored 116 runs in six matches at an average of 19.33, while Rahul amassed 128 runs in six matches at an average of 21.33. These numbers were disappointing, and both players did not feature in any further T20 internationals. In the IPL 2023, Rohit scored just 332 runs in 16 innings, while Rahul’s season was curtailed by injury, leading to him scoring 274 runs in nine matches.
Contrastingly, Virat Kohli had an exceptional T20 World Cup in 2022, finishing as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 296 runs in six matches at an average of 98.66. He also had a fine IPL 2023 season, scoring 639 runs at an average of 53.25. These performances justified his inclusion in the squad.
Chopra also questioned the selection of Sanju Samson as the wicketkeeper-batsman ahead of Ishan Kishan. Despite Samson’s inclusion, Chopra pointed out that he was not considered for any significant series or squads leading up to major ICC tournaments. On the other hand, Kishan had opted out of the Test squad during the South Africa tour due to personal reasons.
While both Samson and Kishan have inconsistent T20I records, Samson has scored only 374 runs in 21 innings at an average of 19.68, whereas Kishan has managed 796 runs in 32 innings at an average of 25.67.
Chopra also discussed the options for opening alongside Rohit Sharma. He suggested that either Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shubman Gill could partner Rohit, with the other player being left out. Alternatively, he proposed that Virat Kohli could open with Rohit, allowing Suryakumar Yadav to bat at number three.
The series against Afghanistan will serve as India’s final bilateral T20I series before the T20 World Cup, set to begin on June 1. The three-match series will commence on January 11 in Mohali, followed by matches in Indore and Bengaluru on January 14 and 17, respectively.
India’s Squad for three T20Is against Afghanistan: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan, and Mukesh Kumar.
