Aakash Chopra calls his ideal India ODI XI; no room for Shikhar Dhawan & Suryakumar Yadav

After the loss of Team India in the ODI series against Bangladesh, questions were raised about the out-of-form players and the team combination. The ODI World Cup is scheduled for next year in India itself, hence fans have high hopes for the Men in Blue to win an ICC trophy. Notably, the last time India won the coveted title was in 2013 when the MS Dhoni-led side had beaten England to take the Champions Trophy.

India lost the first two ODIs before bouncing back and beating Bangladesh in the final match to end the series on a positive note. Ishan Kishan hit a mind-boggling double hundred while Virat Kohli scored his 44th century in the format.

After the series, former Indian cricketer Akash Chopra picked his ideal team XI with some notable exclusions. Chopra chose Kishan and Rohit Sharma to open, followed by Kohli and Shreyas Iyer and number three and four, respectively. The cricketer-turned-commentator did not give his name Shichar Dhawan, India’s regular opener in the ODIs. Chopra reasoned that Kishan cannot be dropped after he achieves a double century.

Chopra picked on KL Rahul and Hardik Pandaya at numbers five and six respectively, stating that Rahul must bat for Suryakumar Yadav. The Pune-born batsman has been unable to match success in ODIs, scoring 384 runs at a sub-par average of 32 in 15 matches.

“An opener together with Rohit Sharma. Who will that be – I don’t know. I think Ishan Kishan is stealing a march now, you can’t drop him after a double hundred. So Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, Kohli at No. 3 and Iyer at No. 4. I certainly won’t drop Iyer,’ said Chopra on his YouTube channel.

“Hardik comes in at number 6, but Rahul plays for SKY (Suryakumar Yadav), so Rahul plays at number 5, sorry SKY. SKY and Shikhar are both in the squad but not playing. he added.

Chopra went along Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj as its two specialized pacers and Washington Sundar as a spin all-rounder. He said to choose Axar Patel only if Ravindra Jadeja is not fit and had a toss-up in between Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.

“Jasprit Bumrah will be in my team, Mohammed Siraj will be in my team. Washington Sundar and then who is fit between Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. If Jadeja is fit then Jaddu. I will definitely put one of Kuldeep Yadav or Yuzvendra Chahal in keep the squad,” Chopra added.

Aakash Chopra’s ideal India ODI XI:

Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel/Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.