Former India player Aakash Chopra believes that India made a big statement by not opening with Shubman Gill in the second T20I against New Zealand. However, they played Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant as their two openers and posted a score of 191/6 after being asked to bat first at Mount Maunganui on Sunday, November 20. Their bowlers then bundled out New Zealand for 126 to complete an emphatic 65-run win as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “The XI that was played gives a slight peep into India’s future, that what they are trying to do. Of course, Hardik Pandya is the captain here and the team went with Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant as the openers, which means Shubman Gill not an opener. It is a big statement in my opinion. Shubman Gill is a three-format player, he plays in a proper fashion. In my opinion, if India are searching for a new template, Shubman Gill does not fit into that at this point in time. We have better explosive players than him.”

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However, Aakash Chopra further added that there might be some questions about India opening with two left-handers as well. He stated that such questions are not asked when two right-handers do the same job as well. Chopra also picked Suryakumar Yadav batting at No. 3 as another positive thing as well.

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“Surya coming in at No. 3 was another statement that you want your most dangerous batter to play as many deliveries as possible. So that was a big tick mark. When you played Deepak Hooda and Washington Sundar along with him, you didn’t think at all that what will happen to your batting at No. 8. In the entire World Cup and Asia Cup, we were told that we need a batter at No. 8, and that is why you couldn’t play Yuzi Chahal. Here you went with four bowlers and didn’t think about the batting at No. 8. You thought that you will pick bowlers who can pick up wickets,” Aakash Chopra concluded.