Aakash Chopra questions team management’s decision to drop Sai Sudharsan in 1st Test against South Africa

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has questioned the Indian team’s think tank decision to drop Sai Sudharsan from the playing XI in the opening Test match against South Africa. India is playing with four spinners in the team at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Meanwhile, Sudharsan scored a decent knock of 87 runs in the first innings against the West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi. Furthermore, Sudharsan also scored 39 runs in the second innings. Chopra questioned why India has kept Sai Sudharsan in the squad when they don’t have confidence in him.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “If you’re not convinced with Sai Sudharsan’s batting after what he did in Delhi, then why is he still in the squad? Why keep him in the team? It can’t be that just because you need fifteen players, you include him even though you have no belief in him. That’s not how it works. So their thinking I don’t understand it.”

“Let me play devil’s advocate — there were three spinners, two fast bowlers, and West Indies didn’t get bowled out by us the second time. And it was a flat pitch; maybe they felt they wouldn’t bowl them out, so they wanted one more bowler. I don’t think the decision had anything to do with batting. If Washington plays, or if Axar plays, they will score so many runs that you won’t miss Sai Sudharsan’s batting contribution.”

Chopra said the number three position can not be a game of musical chairs. Washington Sundar is expected to bat at one drop in Kolkata against the Proteas.

“The No. 3 spot cannot become a game of musical chairs. Rahul Dravid, Cheteshwar Pujara — if you don’t identify the right guy now, then what? There was Karun Nair, maybe next time you’ll see Abhimanyu Easwaran — and then Sai doesn’t get prepared at all,” said Chopra (via the aforementioned source).

South Africa were 105-3 at lunch on the opening day after Temba Bavuma won the toss and decided to bat first.