Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra reckons that middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer’s injury has created room for a plethora of possibilities for the Indian team ahead of the first Test against Australia. Under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma, Team India will be hosting Pat Cummins’ side in a four-match Test series, with the first game beginning on February 9 in Nagpur.
Iyer, who missed the ODI series against New Zealand due to a back injury, has reportedly not yet fully recovered and is set to miss the first Test against Australia.
In the latest video on his Youtube channel, Aakash Chopra said, “Shreyas Iyer’s injury is another problem. It has suddenly opened Pandora’s box, that whom should you play. If the No. 5 batter is sitting outside in this team, it is Suryakumar Yadav.”
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Chopra reckons that KL Rahul is ahead of Shubman Gill in the Indian Test opener pecking order.
Elaborating the same, Aakash Chopra said, “Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul are the openers. Who will open with Rohit? If you go with the pecking order, which we have seen this team do, they made Ishan Kishan sit out after scoring a double century, as Shubman Gill had been consistently doing well, KL Rahul should open.”
He further added, “Shubman Gill’s case is also very strong because he is coming after scoring runs in Bangladesh as well and no one has scored more runs than him in 2023. The injury concerns are a slight spanner in the works. You can give a debut to Suryakumar Yadav, but I personally feel that first match with Australia in front, maybe you are not that confident.”
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Meanwhile, Jos Hazlewood has also been ruled out of the opening Test as he still recovering from an Achilles injury on his left leg sustained while bowling against South Africa in Sydney last month. He will not roll his arms until February 7. His absence opens the door for Scott Boland, who could also make his debut in an overseas Test.
