Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined on whether Abhimanyu Easwaran’s appointment as India A captain for the upcoming tour of England shows that he is a certainty in India’s XI for the subsequent Test series as well. He also questioned why Ruturaj Gaikwad wasn’t given the captaincy role as well. However, the selectors recently picked an 18-member India A squad for two first-class matches against the England Lions, followed by a game against the main Indian side as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra,’ he said, “When such a team was made last time, Ruturaj Gaikwad was the captain. Now Ruturaj Gaikwad is not the captain. Why has that happened? I have got no idea. The big news is that Abhimanyu Easwaran has been made the captain. Is that an indication that you are going to keep him in the XI? I have no idea, but he has been made the captain.”

“Devdutt Padikkal is not part of this squad. It means his hamstring tear is a serious one. RCB might have some problems because of that, but he will himself have more problems because of that, as he is out of the entire England tour. He is not going to be considered. How would his name come if his name is not there in this team?” he again shared.

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While saying that KL Rahul might have been given a break, Aakash Chopra also stated that Rishabh Pant should have been picked in the India A squad for the second match to help his form back as well.

“Who are the other absentees? KL Rahul isn’t there. Maybe spending time with his family. Rishabh Pant isn’t there. Ishan Kishan is making a comeback. You might not see him playing because Dhruv Jurel is the vice-captain. Maybe Rishabh Pant could have gone for the second match as well because you want to remain in batting form. IPL hasn’t been very kind to him,” he said.

“In bowling, Arshdeep isn’t there. He might still be considered after the playoffs, but Arshdeep’s absence is a significant miss. It will be a very important series for Karun Nair. There are three games. Your name can come if you do well. The focus will also be on Sai Sudharsan once he comes,” Aakash Chopra concluded.