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Aakash Chopra believes India’s choice of extra spin options could backfire like in the BGT.
Ravindra Jadeja. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Aakash Chopra feels India’s selection of three spin-bowling all-rounders in Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel in the 2025 Champions Trophy is a ‘defensive’ move akin to the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He said it’s not a ‘great thing’ and shows a lack of confidence in the batting lineup.
All-rounders were a recurring theme in the BGT. India chose to play extra all-rounders like Nitish Kumar Reddy and Sundar for the batting depth they provided over going after 20 wickets with four specialist pace options. The move backfired multiple times as the team became reliant on Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, and the all-rounders couldn’t often offset top-order collapses.
“The one overriding thought or theme was who all can bat because you need a batter at No. 8. So you picked Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. You could have picked a fast bowler instead of that, and if you needed a spinner only, then you could have picked Varun Chakaravarthy. I see two of the three spin-bowling all-rounders, who all bat left-handed, playing,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
“All three are defensive options in ODI cricket. We consistently saw a slight lack of confidence in batting in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. We needed a batter at No. 8. So we are picking bowlers who can bat, and I feel it’s the same theme this time as well, which is not a great thing because you have to show confidence in your batting. You have to pick bowlers who take wickets,” Chopra added.
Chopra also believes that the combination of four spinners (including Kuldeep Yadav) plus four pace options (including Hardik Pandya) is not ideal for the conditions at play in Dubai.
“It will be slightly cold in Dubai. A little dew might also come later in Dubai. There could be slightly more help for fast bowlers in Dubai. The Dubai pitch doesn’t and won’t help spinners much. It is rock-hard. It seems like the pitch has been made on a mountain,” Chopra said.
“Even if you continuously play for 10 days there, cracks aren’t formed at all. It can stay low but the ball doesn’t turn there and the square remains like that. So more fast bowlers are required and fewer spinners but India have picked four spinners,” he added.
India’s Champions Trophy campaign begins against Bangladesh on February 20.
