Former India opener turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has added that Harshit Rana’s debut in the first ODI against England has delayed Arshdeep Singh’s return in the ODI format. He also stated that the Delhi pacer’s debut implies that speedster Jasprit Bumrah is unlikely to be available for the 2025 Champions Trophy as well. However, India fielded two debutants, Rana and Yashasvi Jaiswal, in the first ODI of the three-match ODI series in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6 as well. India bowled the visitors out for 248 and chased down the target with four wickets and 68 deliveries to spare as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Harshit Rana’s debut tells me there are minimal chances of Jasprit Bumrah being available for the Champions Trophy. You are thinking that if Bumrah is not there in the Champions Trophy and you have to take Harshit, because he is ahead of (Mohammed) Siraj at the moment, taking him without his debut will make your heart beat fast. When will you get Arshdeep to make a comeback in ODI cricket, that is still a question looming large because he too hasn’t played an ODI for a long time. However, Harshit’s debut gives me an indication that Bumrah might not be there.”
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In the same video, Aakash Chopra also questioned Team India’s decision to open with Yashasvi Jaiswal, with Shubman Gill being demoted to No. 3 in the batting order as well.
“Yashasvi Jaiswal’s debut tells you that they are not looking towards or thinking about Rishabh Pant at all. Yashasvi Jaiswal opening after making his debut, and Shubman Gill going to No. 3, I personally didn’t like it because there is no place in the top three. So why a debut for Yashasvi? He is a very good player. I love him to bits but there is no place. You could have possibly put Rishabh Pant in the middle. You could have done a two-horse race between Rishabh Pant and Rahul. The playing XI brought more questions than it answered,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
