‘When will you play him?’: Former India batsman questions decision to field Nitish Reddy

India’s Nitish Kumar Reddy (PTI Photo) Former India opener Aakash Chopra feels that the team management’s selection thinking currently does not match his own and questions the decision to skip Nitish Kumar Reddy from the first T20I against West Indies in Lucknow.India opened the five-match series with an eight-wicket win on Tuesday after bowling West Indies out for 171 chasing the target with 32 balls to spare.While Chopra felt that Reddy should have performed in the series opener, he also praised Naman Dhir for making a strong impression after being trusted with the ball.“Spinners took eight (seven) wickets. Personally, I would raise my hand. I thought Nitish Kumar Reddy should have been played. If you don’t play Nitish now, when will you play him? My mindset and the formation of the Indian team don’t match,” he said in a video shared on his YouTube channel, ‘Aakash Chopra.’Dhir justified the faith reposed in him by returning figures of 3/31 from his four overs. His three wickets came immediately after he got a six, with Shai Hope, Romario Shepherd and Shamar Springer all dismissed after maximums from the previous delivery.Chopra was particularly impressed with how Dhir adjusted his bowling and responded to pressure.“But one thing is for sure. This team has a lot of faith in Naman Dhir. They feel that the guy has a huge advantage, and rightly so. He bats very well and makes him mix it up repeatedly. Only five bowlers were used and he took three wickets where he also used his brain,” noted the cricket commentator.“He got hit for a six and the next ball he bowled a bit far and slow. Then he bowled a slightly flat and full ball to Romario Shepherd on his legs and got hit for a six. The next ball flew off his round arm. That tells you the guy thinks and then executes the skill. The seam position was good. So a lot of things were super impressive,” added Naman Dhir.Dhir removed Hope after the West Indian batsman made 52 off 37 balls before dismissing Shepherd for 7 off 5 and Springer for 9 off 7.

Chopra is unhappy with the West Indies batting

Chopra also criticized the West Indies for failing to make the most of the conditions and argued that the hosts should have been chasing a much higher total.He praised Kuldeep Yadav, who took 2/33 in four overs, and Axar Patel, who returned 2/26 from 3.1 overs, but felt the West Indies batting unit failed to capitalize.“Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets. Axar Patel bowled the sixth as a maiden and took the wicket of Rovman Powell in it. West Indies, you didn’t bat well. This was a pitch that should have easily scored 200. Your batting was extremely ordinary and you made 170,” he said.Shai Hope and Sherfane Rutherford were the only West Indies batsmen to make significant contributions, with Hope scoring 52 and Rutherford hitting 56 off 34 balls.Chopra also pointed to Mayank Yadav’s performance as an area of ​​concern. The fast bowler, who was returning from injury, finished with 1/40 from his four overs and seemed to rely heavily on slower deliveries.“You left a lot on the field. Hope got a fifty and another fifty from Sherfane Rutherford but what happened in the middle was avoidable. Mayank Yadav was a bit expensive. I felt like he was a bit rusty as he is coming back from injury and hasn’t played much cricket,” observed Chopra.Only Akeal Hosein, who made 15 off 9, and Kamil Pooran, with 12 off 11, joined Hope and Rutherford in reaching the double for West Indies.The Indian bowlers eventually restricted the visitors to 171 before Shreyas Iyer’s unbeaten 102 off 43 balls guided the hosts to a comfortable win and a 1-0 series lead.