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Aakash Chopra opens up on India’s poor performance in the 1st T20I vs NZ
By SMCS - Jan 29, 2023 2:26 pm
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Former India player Aakash Chopra feels Team India needs to think about their strategy heading into the second T20I against New Zealand as they failed to do well in the first T20I. They suffered a 21-run defeat in the first game of the three-match series in Ranchi on Friday (January 27). But they will hope to win the second T20I in Lucknow on today to be alive in the series ahead of the final game in Ahmedabad.

Raipur
Team India dominated in Raipur

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “To be very honest, the Indian team have a lot to think about because you are neither starting well nor finishing well. You are not able to start well with the bat, and you are not able to finish well with the ball. This problem is a slightly recurring issue although the T20 World Cup is not around the corner, and we have only one-dayers after this. The young players who are playing, we really don’t know how long they will remain together because the IPL will come in between, and then you focus a little more on the players who perform there.”

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However, Team India won’t play many T20Is this year, considering the ODI World Cup in mind. And, performances in the Indian Premier League and 50-over cricket might play a crucial role the next time the T20I team is picked.

Team India
India vs New Zealand

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“We need to focus on who bowls where and how much. Arshdeep Singh is not really at the peak of his powers at this point in time. The graph should not be up and down. With the stature Arshdeep currently has, we feel the graph should only go up, but it is going slightly up and down, which is not great news. I would say that you should give the new ball to Mavi. Hardik bowls well with the new ball, but you won’t be able to use Mavi properly if he doesn’t bowl with the new ball. After that, you can use Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav anywhere with the ball,” Aakash Chopra concluded.