Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra reckons the upcoming T20 World Cup will be a great opportunity for Ishan Kishan and Varun Chakravarthy to make their comebacks. Both of these players were part of India’s disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup 2021.
India could not even qualify for the semifinals after suffering losses against Pakistan and New Zealand. Furthermore, Chakravarthy had failed to deliver the goods in Dubai conditions.
Fast forward five years, Chakravarthy is the number one T20I bowler in the ICC rankings, whereas Ishan Kishan has made a terrific comeback. Kishan recently scored 215 runs in four matches against New Zealand at an average of 53.75 and a blistering strike rate of 231.18.
“I am going to talk about two players because this is a massive opportunity. ‘Ishandar’ Kishan and ‘Chamatkari’ Chakaravarthy, both of them are making comebacks. Their opportunity won’t come repeatedly. They have to grab this opportunity with both hands, and comebacks are always tougher than debuts,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“They played a World Cup. We remember the Dubai campaign, where our situation was not good. The stock of both of them went down there, but now that they have gotten a chance, one is hitting fours and sixes. That guy is, of course, Ishan Kishan,” he added.
The renowned commentator said Ishan Kishan is slightly overshadowing in-form Abhishek Sharma. Kishan scored a whirlwind knock of 53 runs off just 20 balls in the warm-up match against South Africa.
“He has made a terrific comeback. The way he struck a century in Thiruvananthapuram and played a 76-run knock before that, he is unstoppable. In fact, I dare say, he overshadows Abhishek Sharma slightly. He is coming as an almost out-of-syllabus question. It’s a massive opportunity for him to create his identity and earn his name again,” he observed.
The former Delhi cricketer said Varun Chakravarthy has made a stellar comeback after a mundane run in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
“The same is true for Varun Chakaravarthy as well. I am fondly calling him ‘Chamatkari’ Chakaravarthy. He has also made a stellar comeback. It’s said that no matter how big the setback is, the comeback should be two times better than that. That’s the case with this bowler,” he said. (5:30)
“When he didn’t bowl well in Dubai, everyone had forgotten him, but now he has made it back. He has become the No. 1 T20I bowler, that’s one, and secondly, we are taking his name before (Jasprit) Bumrah. That in itself is an achievement. So it’s a massive opportunity for him as well to reach a new level of success,” Chopra observed.
India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the USA on February 7.
