Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the selectors have picked a strong One-Day squad for the three-match series against Australia A. Chopra praised the selectors for picking Vipraj Nigam and said the all-rounder is a good selection.
India A will play three One-Day games against Australia A at Puducherry from 6 October onwards. CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the team, whereas in-form Devdutt Padikkal has been named as the vice-captain.
“The team is actually good. Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal is the vice-captain, and Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain. So Rutu is finally getting what he deserves. Then you have got Rajat Patidar. Kumar Kushagra’s name is in this team. He is coming after playing well,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, I always felt this guy has something, Arshin Kulkarni, our Under-19 star who played for LSG as well, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, who was hitting fours and sixes in the Sher-E-Punjab T20 league, and Hardik Pandya has a star after his name, which means the clearance is subject to fitness,” he added.
The former Delhi cricketer noted that the selectors have managed to pick a strong side despite India playing the Asian Games and also the ODI series against the West Indies at the same time.
“Prabhsimran Singh, Gurjapneet Singh, and Yash Thakur. A good One-day team has been picked, and I am thinking about how much cricket is happening. The Asian Games and the West Indies series will be happening alongside this. So India has to now get three different teams at the same time, but the quality has been maintained,” he observed.
Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya has been picked in the squad but his final selection is subject to fitness clearance. Chopra said Pandya’s selection is a good development.
“Hardik Pandya is back. That’s a good development because, at some stage, you want his name to come. Until when will he remain unfit, although there is still no guarantee whether he will play or not because this series is slightly late. It’s not starting tomorrow or the day after,” he said.
Chopra also expressed his delight at Rajat Patidar’s selection and Gaikwad’s appointment as captain.
“Rajat Patidar returning to the scheme of things is good news. Ruturaj Gaikwad becoming the captain- I think that’s good news. It is actually a good balance. I feel this team is good,” Chopra observed.
India A One-Day Squad:
Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Priyansh Arya, Sai Sudharsan, Devdutt Padikkal (vice-captain), Rajat Patidar, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Nishant Sindhu, Vipraj Nigam, Arshin Kulkarni, Arshad Khan, Naman Dhir, Hardik Pandya* (subject to fitness), Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Gurjapneet Singh and Yash Thakur
