India vs England | Team management will have to take harder look at it's decisions, says Akash Chopra
Former Indian Test batsman Akash Chopra feels that the Indian team management will have to be careful while selecting the overseas squad as traveling does not bode well with the Indian team. Referring to Indian skipper Virat Kohli, he mentioned that his selection techniques are quite unpredictable.
Referring to the absence of Ben Stokes in the second Test, Akash Chopra mentioned that Stokes was not at all missed in the game. He said that though, Chris Woakes was not a part of the first Test, he more than efficiently replaced Stokes in the Lord's Test. He snatched Virat Kohli's wicket in the first innings, while scoring 137 not out.
Chopra also mentioned the fact that Indian team was missing a spinner in the first Test at Edgbaston, while lacking a pace bowler at Lord's. He has stated that the Indian team management will have to be careful while selecting the overseas squad as India is not known to perform well, when travelling.
āIndia arenāt known to travel well and that makes team-selection a critical piece in the jigsaw puzzle. Team management will have to take a harder look at its decisions,ā Chopra shared with Hindustan Times.
āWoakes wasnāt a part of the original Test squad but made it to the playing XI for the second Test courtesy the green pitch and overcast conditions, and he produced a performance to remember.
"In fact, Woakesā batting performance alone encapsulates Indiaās agony perfectly, for he scored 137 without getting dismissed and 10 Indian batsmen couldnāt cross his personal score in either of the innings,ā he added.
Chopra has also appreciated Indian skipper Virat Kohli's decision making capabilities. He mentioned that Kohli will be appreciated as a Captain who keeps regulating the players along with being an expert batsman.
āAs much as Virat Kohli is revered and will be remembered as one of the finest batsmen to grace this game, heāll also be remembered as a captain who didnāt play an identical XI in two consecutive games for 37 games and counting, and also as someone who made some interesting choices!
"Kohli dropped the teamās vice-captain for the first two Tests in South Africa, dropped Cheteshwar Pujara for the first Test in England and has used Shikhar Dhawan only for the opening Test in two consecutive overseas tours,ā mentioned Chopra.
He also mentioned the batting crisis India faced. He said that the weather conditions were not suitable for India's batting and bowling performances. According to him, the lack of runs scored by experienced overseas player like Murli Vijay and Ajinkya Rahane was also a concern.
āIndia were at the wrong end of the conditions with both bat and ball. It was overcast on the first day when James Anderson ran through the Indian batting, it turned nice and sunny when India bowled and the clouds returned when it was Indiaās turn to bat again in the second innings,ā he shared.
āThe biggest area of concern is the lack of runs from proven overseas performers like Murali Vijay and Rahane. If your blue chip stock fails, thereās very little chance of survival,ā he added.
Chopra added that the batting skills required to resist challenging conditions have deteriorated over the years across the globe. As per him, not only the Indian batsmen but players from many teams are not able to survive in pitches favouring the bowlers. He feels the abundance of flat pitches across the world must be a reason for this problem.
āThereās an obvious decline in development of skills best suited for tougher conditions and reason for that is the presence of flat pitches across the globe, even for most Test matches."If speaking-reading English is enough to cover the countries you frequent, why would you spend time learning Spanish that you might visit once in four years?ā he mentioned.