The Men in Blue will lock horns with the Black Caps in the first game of the three-match series in Hyderabad on Wednesday, January 18. With KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer unavailable for the series, the hosts will be forced to make some changes to the team they fielded against Sri Lanka.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will certainly open the batting, reasoning:
Chopra pointed out that Rahul and Shreyas’ absence has opened up spots for Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in the middle order, elaborating:
While Rajat Patidar has been added to the mix as Shreyas’ replacement, Srikar Bharat is the other wicketkeeper-batter in the squad. Neither is likely to make his debut in the first ODI against the Kiwis.
“You shouldn’t make him sit out” - Aakash Chopra on Umran Malik
Chopra picked Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami and Umran Malik as his three seamers, stating:
While opining that Washington Sundar is a certainty in the XI, the former Indian opener wants Kuldeep Yadav to play ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal, observing:
Aakash Chopra’s probable India XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Umran Malik
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