India cannot afford to lose as many early wickets as they did in their World Cup 2023 match against Australia, Aakash Chopra has emphasized.
On Sunday, October 8, Pat Cummins decided to bat first at Chepauk in Chennai. The Indian spinners quickly dismissed the Australians for 199. However, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul’s 165-run fourth-wicket stand allowed them to secure a six-wicket victory with 52 deliveries left after Rohit Sharma and company were reduced to 2/3 chasing a little below-par mark.
Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer in particular were blasted by Chopra for their shot choices in a video posted on his YouTube channel for India’s early wicket losses of three.
“Let’s talk about the Indian top order. (Shubman) Gill was missed. Three players cannot get out so early. There were two loose shots, whether it was Ishan Kishan or Shreyas Iyer.”
Aakash Chopra
The former Indian opener believes Kishan and Iyer may have committed inappropriate shots under pressure during their opening ODI World Cup match. He noticed:
“It’s possible that when you play your first World Cup match, there is slightly more pressure. That was seen on both Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer. They played away from the body on the rise on this pitch when they hadn’t even opened their accounts.”
Aakash Chopra
The first delivery Kishan faced was an outswinger from Mitchell Starc, but he was only able to edge it to Cameron Green at first slip. After Rohit Sharma was removed in the same over, Iyer was subsequently caught at short cover by David Warner while hitting an outrageous drive off Josh Hazlewood’s bowling.
“You start waiting for Shubman Gill even more eagerly” – Aakash Chopra
According to Aakash Chopra, India could be keen for Shubman Gill to beat his ailment as soon as possible in order to strengthen the top order. He said:
“It was the first time in India’s ODI history that three of their top four got out for zero. It can happen but it needs to be kept in mind that it cannot happen repeatedly. You start waiting for Shubman Gill even more eagerly.”
Aakash Chopra
If the Men in Blue lose early wickets, Chopra thinks KL Rahul should be elevated over Shreyas Iyer in the batting order. He concluded:
“The fact is that if you lose early wickets like this, another learning is that you should send (KL) Rahul at No. 4 and drop Shreyas to No. 5. You can be slightly flexible in the batting order because KL Rahul is a slightly better option against the new ball.”
Aakash Chopra
In Sunday’s game, Rahul appeared to be the Indian hitter who was most at ease. He struck an unbroken 97 off 115 deliveries, earning him the right to be named Player of the Match for his crucial performance.
