Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned the Indian team's playing 11 combination as it suffered defeat at the hands of South Africa in their Super 8 fixture of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Sunday.
Chopra feels India shouldn't have made all-rounder Axar Patel vice-captain if his place in the playing 11 was uncertain.
Key Points
- Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra criticised India’s team combination following the 76-run defeat to South Africa national cricket team in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
- Chopra questioned why Axar Patel was named vice-captain if his place in the playing XI was not guaranteed.
- India opted to bench Axar against South Africa, citing match-up concerns against left-handers.
- He raised concerns about India’s lack of clarity at the toss, noting that the team seemed uncertain about chasing in high-pressure matches.
'Where were we left behind? The first thing that comes to my mind is, what team are we playing? You have appointed Axar Patel the vice-captain. If he is your team's vice-captain, why isn't he a part of the team? You needn't have made him the vice-captain," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
'For you, your vice-captain is not important. How is that okay?'
'You made him sit out in the last match (final group game). Never mind, as Washi hadn't played for such a long time, and you played him since you were playing against the Netherlands, but you made him sit out against South Africa. You said it's becoming a negative match-up as there are three left-handers in the opposition," he added.
Chopra also noted that South Africa kept their key left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj in the XI despite India having six left-handers in their batting order, while India's vice-captain was left out.
"Two of the three left-handers bat in the top three, and both were out in two overs. We have six left-handers among our eight batters, and South Africa said they would play Keshav Maharaj because he is their main bowler. They said they won't make Keshav sit out because he is important. For you, your vice-captain is not important. How is that okay?" Chopra added.
Chopra raised concerns over India's strategy and clarity of mindset following the defeat.
"The second thing that comes to my mind is that Surya was asked at the toss, although he didn't win it, which is okay, but he wanted to bat first, which means they hadn't made up their mind to chase, and didn't have that much confidence as well."
'I don't think we were prepared for this'
India were asked to bowl after losing the toss, and Chopra suggested that India were uncertain about their preferred strategy going into the contest.
The opener further questioned India's broader pattern of opting to bowl first in the bilateral series while preferring to bat first in high-pressure ICC matches.
'I am thinking, why do we bowl first after winning the toss in bilaterals? When South Africa came in front, our mindset was that we should get to bat first, that we don't bat under pressure, and instead bowl under pressure. If that's the case, do the same thing in bilaterals as well. I don't think we were prepared for this.'
Chopra's remark highlights that India's toss decisions in the bilateral series may not align with their mindset in knockout or high-stakes ICC encounters.
India's loss of 76 runs against South Africa has tightened their qualification scenarios for the semi-finals. The Men in Blue will now have to win their remaining two games with a good net run rate to keep their hopes of defending the T20 World Cup alive.
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