Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has picked his preferred Indian XI for the first Test against the West Indies. He further added that Shardul Thakur should be a certain pick on the side. however, India will take on the Windies in the first Test of the two-match series in Roseau from Wednesday, July 12. It will be India’s first game after the defeat against Australia in the World Test Championship final in June as well.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra said: “If you talk about the XI, it is very simple. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill – the Indian team will go with these two openers although Yashasvi Jaiswal opened in the warm-up game and Shubman came at No. 3. If you ask me this question as a long-term prospect, Shubman Gill for the next 15 years, I want him at three or four. Kohli is there at four currently and he is not going anywhere for the next four-five years. Till then Shubman could be at three and Yashasvi could be the opener. Yashasvi Jaiswal might get his debut. If that happens and he comes at No. 3, there will be a big change.”

However, Aakash Chopra again shared that India might see a deviation from their long-term approach at No. 3 if the veteran bats at the position. He also picked Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane to complete his top five.

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He said: “Our long-term No. 3s before this game – Rahul Dravid and Cheteshwar Pujara – their career strike rate was close to 40 but Yashasvi has gone at a strike rate of nearly 70 in first-class cricket. Although this is Test cricket, you don’t change your tempo. At six, I am having Ravindra Jadeja, who surprisingly does not have good batting and bowling numbers in the West Indies. So this could be his breakthrough series in the West Indies. Then I am playing Bharat because if I have gone so low down the order, how will I make a place for Ishan Kishan?”

“Then Ravichandran Ashwin, he has four centuries and a lot of wickets against the West Indies. After that, I will definitely play Shardul Thakur. Then Mohammed Siraj and in the end, I am going with Jaydev Unadkat ahead of Mukesh Kumar because he is a left-armer and he bowled well when he got a chance to play in Bangladesh,” Aakash Chopra concluded.

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Aakash Chopra’s Indian XI for the 1st Test: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Srikar Bharat, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Jaydev Unadkat