Former India player Aakash Chopra has questioned who should leave his place for Virat Kohli in the Indian team’s playing XI for the second ODI against England as well. He added that although everyone thought Yashasvi Jaiswal had taken his place in the first ODI, it was later disclosed that Shreyas Iyer wasn’t supposed to play the game and later came in the frame as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Kohli fit, Kohli in, but who goes out? That’s the big question because if Kohli had been fit in the last match, Shreyas Iyer wouldn’t have played. It means the team’s game plan was to have Yashasvi with Rohit (Sharma), a left-right combination. So where would (Shubman) Gill have played and what will they do now?”

“Virat Kohli not playing in the last match hurt you a little as he never misses matches because of fitness. He is very rarely unfit. He had a neck issue in January, and that’s why he didn’t play the Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra. After that, something happened in his knee when he was about to play here,” he observed. “We came to know later who played in his place. We all felt Yashasvi had been played in his place and made to open for one match. However, Shreyas Iyer revealed that he was watching a movie and got a phone call to get ready as Virat Kohli wouldn’t play. He was ready and hit a lot. What will happen now?” Chopra added again.

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In the same video, Aakash Chopra also added that Virat Kohli should replace Yashasvi Jaiswal in India’s playing XI for the second ODI against England as well.

“A very easy way is to leave out Yashasvi, send Gill at the top, and keep Virat Kohli at No. 3. All is well. I am saying that should happen as well. Gill should be with Rohit, Kohli at No. 3, Iyer at No. 4, and (KL) Rahul at No. 5, but will that happen, and if that happens, what about the philosophy?” he said.

“Will your philosophy change just because a player (Shreyas) scored runs in one match? Team selection is not just about personnel. Team selection is also about philosophy. So if the Indian team had made up their mind that they wanted to go with Yashasvi and Rohit, you should 100 percent forget Yashasvi’s failure in one match,” Aakash Chopra concluded.