Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has picked India’s playing XI for the opening ODI against Afghanistan at Dharashala. Chopra reckons fast bowler Prince Yadav will make his ODI debut for the national team.
Chopra backed Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma to open the innings. The renowned commentator picked Ishan Kishan ahead Yashasvi Jaiswal to bat at number three in Virat Kohli’s absence as the latter has been ruled out with a hamstring injury.
The renowned commentator reckons Nitish Kumar Reddy will play ahead of Hardik Pandya, who has suffered a fresh injury ahead of the ODI series.
“In the team I have made, Shubman Gill is there with Rohit Sharma. There is still no news about Hardik Pandya’s availability. So I am assuming he is not there. I see Ishan Kishan playing at No. 3, Shreyas Iyer at No. 4, KL Rahul at No. 5, Nitish Kumar Reddy at No. 6, and then Washington Sundar at No. 7,” Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
Chopra picked Kuldeep Yadav, Prince Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, and Arshdeep Singh as the four bowlers in the team.
“At No. 8, you can see Kuldeep Yadav, and then from Nos. 9 to 11, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, and Prince Yadav. This kind of XI might be seen. Nitish Kumar Reddy will have a bigger role here,” he observed.
The reputed commentator highlighted that India doesn’t have a great record since the 2023 ODI World Cup, winning 14 out of their 23 games.
“Since the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup, our win percentage is only 61 percent. We have won 14 out of 23 matches, which is not a great return. So those things need to start changing now because we are preparing for 2027,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer added that Afghanistan has a better win percentage than India in the 50-overs format.
“Afghanistan’s win percentage since the 2023 ODI World Cup is 67 percent. It’s the second-best amongst full-member nations. They have won five out of their last six bilateral series, including a historic triumph over South Africa,” Chopra observed.
India and Afghanistan will take on each other on Saturday.
