Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Shreyas Iyer’s appointment as skipper implies that India A have had different captains in three consecutive series as well. While Ruturaj Gaikwad was India A’s captain against Australia A last year, Abhimanyu Easwaran led the team in their away series against the England Lions earlier this year as well.
Reflecting on the team in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “Different captains have been made in three consecutive series. What is happening? Shreyas Iyer is the captain and Dhruv Jurel is the vice-captain. However, I am thinking that Abhimanyu Easwaran used to be the captain, but his name has disappeared from there. He is a member of the team for sure, but his name is not there in the list of captain and vice-captain.”
READ HERE: Shubman Gill Takes Sly Dig At His Critics After India Win At Edgbaston
“Shreyas Iyer has come, and if you see the last few series, you see a new captain in every series. So the India A captaincy has become a case of musical chairs. Why has Shreyas Iyer been elevated? It’s because the No. 3 and No. 6 spots are still vacant. Sai Sudharsan’s name is there for sure. So he is also a part of this team. Abhimanyu Easwaran’s name is also there, and he is also a part of this team,” he further added.
However, Aakash Chopra added that Shreyas Iyer’s appointment as India A captain implies that he is likely to be a part of India’s Test team as well.
“There was a lot of backlash when Shreyas wasn’t selected for the Asia Cup, and now he finds himself at the helm of the India A team. There is no doubt that Shreyas is a certainty in ODIs. Now you will have the West Indies and South Africa touring India. So these two series at home, and there is a lot of ODI cricket happening as well, you will suddenly find Shreyas Iyer playing in two of the three formats. He plays ODIs in any case, and I feel his name can come in Tests, and considering the kind of form he is in, the way he plays spin, and the kind of pitches you will get here, he will be fine. He will score the runs. So the doors have opened up quite wide and quite nicely,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
