Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has cautioned India against preparing a rank-turner for the second Test versus England, which gets underway on Friday (Feb 2) in Visakhapatnam. Chopra feels a rank-turner can backfire as many of the Indian batters are out of form. The likes of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer have been without big knocks for quite sometime and, hence, the former cricketer has advised India to not bank on spin-heavy track for a comeback in the series after losing the Hyderabad Test by 28 runs.Â
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined, “There is a problem with self-doubt. If we prepare a good pitch, they [England] play better than us. Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are in poor form. We do not have Rahul. Virat Kohli was already absent. Ravindra Jadeja, the all-rounder is also not there. Suddenly, you are stuck.”
Chopra added, “I feel they should play on a good pitch. Don’t get overexcited and go for a turning pitch. Your batters do not have form. In such a situation, the spinners of both sides become equally effective. They do not have accuracy, but how does it matter? Tom Hartley begins bowling like Bishan Bedi and Joe Root becomes Muttiah Muralitharan.”
To add to India’s woes, Rohit Sharma & Co. will be without the likes of Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul for the second Test. While Kohli is out of action till the second Test, due to personal reasons, Rahul and Jadeja have been ruled out due to injury concerns for the upcoming Test in Vizag.Â
Talking about the first Test, in Hyderabad, India conceded the game despite a 190-run lead. Pope (196) and debutant spinner Tom Hartley (7 for 62) starred for England in the second innings to stage a remarkable comeback for the visitors.
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