Former India cricketer turned famous commentator Aakash Chopra backed out-of-form India captain Virat Kohli and said that his excellent track record as a captain speaks for himself and also allows him to play with five frontline bowlers in Test matches.
Notably, Team India have won 37 of the 64 Tests they have played under his leadership. The 32-year-old also has the best win percentage among other Indian captains who have led in more than five Test matches as well. While previewing the upcoming fourth Test against England in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opened up on this.
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He said: “Captain Kohli has said that he will play five proper bowlers. He has got that mindset. I am okay to live with it because Kohli has won more than he has lost. He has already become India’s most successful Test captain. We have got overseas victories in his captaincy which did not come earlier.”
The former Indian cricketer again shared: “I don’t see Ishant Sharma playing. If you are going to play four fast bowlers, Shardul will play and if you want to play an extra spinner, Ashwin will play. But the whole scenario will change if Jaddu is not available.”
Aakash Chopra, however, praised the batting mainstay Cheteshwar Pujara for returning amongst the runs, along with the excellent form of the openers – Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, which he believes positives for Team India.
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He explained: “It was quite bad for India at Leeds but I feel we have a lot of positives in batting. Rahul and Rohit have always scored runs, if you leave one match for Rahul. Pujara’s form is now back on track. 91 is a huge score and the manner in which he played, which is very very important, looked positive.”
“Virat Kohli, he has got runs although the big runs are missing and this pitch is absolutely ideal for him. Ajinkya Rahane – it is ideal for him as well. Rishabh Pant is a question mark but he has scored runs on this ground. So, this might just be the lucky venue for him once again,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
