Aakash Chopra has expressed his concern about critics who have been trolling Suryakumar Yadav following India’s defeat in the 2023 World Cup final against Australia.
A five-game Twenty20 International series between the World Cup finalists will begin on Thursday in Visakhapatnam. The Men in Blue’s captain is Suryakumar, who made an 18 off 28 balls in the World Cup final.
Aakash Chopra lashed out at trolls who blamed India’s defeat on Suryakumar’s incompetence in a video posted to his YouTube account. He stated:
“Suryakumar Yadav has been made the captain because he didn’t get opportunities to do a lot in the World Cup. When he got a chance in the final, he couldn’t do much and because of that, he has been trolled a lot. It pains you at times. Why are you blaming one person?”
Aakash Chopra
The former India opener stated that the Ahmedabad pitch did not suit the unorthodox hitter and that other players also failed to produce. He said:
“It was a difficult pitch and he didn’t fire. That pitch probably didn’t suit him that much as well. He scored runs against England and didn’t get a chance to score runs in other games. Even Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer didn’t score runs in the final, so why are you blaming him?”
Aakash Chopra
Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer each scored four runs in the World Cup final. India was knocked out for 240 and ultimately lost by six wickets.
“You cannot make Yashasvi Jaiswal sit out” – Aakash Chopra
With Ruturaj Gaikwad selected vice-captain for the first three T20Is, Aakash Chopra underlined the selection quandary for openers. He elaborated:
“Ruturaj Gaikwad is being given a lot of attention because he was the captain in the Asian Games and won a gold medal there as well. I think it’s going to be very interesting because you cannot make Yashasvi Jaiswal sit out.”
Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra believes the right-hander may have to bat at No. 3 to make room at the top of the order for Yashasvi Jaiswal. He stated:
“The way Yashasvi is playing and he hit there (Asian Games) as well, he is a damn good cricketer. So if you get Yashasvi Jaiswal to open alongside Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj might play at No. 3, or else if you do an amazing job by making Yashasvi sit out – I don’t know. It’s going to be difficult.”
Aakash Chopra
Jaiswal hit 232 runs with a remarkable strike rate of 161.11 in seven T20I games. He scored a speedy 100 in 49 balls during India’s quarterfinal victory over Nepal in the Asian Games last month.