According to Aakash Chopra, India could have replaced Hardik Pandya with an all-rounder, but their decision to go with a specialist seamer indicates their thought process.
Hardik has been ruled out of the 2023 World Cup after suffering an ankle injury during India’s league-stage match against Bangladesh. Prasidh Krishna has been nominated to the Men in Blue’s 15-man roster as his substitute.
In a video posted to his YouTube account, Chopra reflected on the development, stating that India’s decision not to select one of Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, or Deepak Chahar as a substitute demonstrates that they desire to continue fielding three specialist seamers. He elaborated:
“Hardik Pandya is not there and Prasidh Krishna has come as his replacement. The question is Prasidh Krishna is a fast bowler and Hardik Pandya is an all-rounder. So India have decided that their three fast bowlers are doing well and they don’t want to go away from that philosophy, so they need a backup there.”
“They could have probably thought about an all-rounder. They could have thought about Axar Patel, Shivam Dube or Deepak Chahar, but they didn’t think anything like that. They said they need a proper fast bowler as they have decided to go with three fast bowlers.”
Aakash Chopra
When Hardik became unavailable due to injury, Rohit Sharma and the team management replaced him in the starting XI with Mohammed Shami. The hosts are set to remain with the same combination after the seasoned bowler picked up 14 wickets in three games.
“There is no other player with Hardik Pandya’s skillsets in India” – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra stated that Prasidh Krishna’s selection demonstrates that India lacks a viable backup for Hardik Pandya. He stated:
“The second thing Prasidh Krishna’s selection tells us is that there is no other player with Hardik Pandya’s skillsets in India. You didn’t try to go towards anyone. You said you will play with six batters, three fast bowlers and two spinners.”
Aakash Chopra
According to the renowned analyst, the Baroda all-rounder was supposed to be vital going into the competition. He went on to say:
“You might be a batter short but that’s your philosophy and that’s the formula of your success. It’s also true that when the tournament started we said that Hardik is irreplaceable – you can remove a batter or bowler but who will come in place of Hardik?”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra said, quite coincidentally, Hardik was the player needing a replacement. He expressed that the impact of the all-rounder’s absence will be clear. However, he finished by noting, how significant this loss truly is will only be understood with time.