‘Why not play him?’: Former India cricketer calls for big change in 4th T20I vs New Zealand

NEW DELHI: India have already taken an elusive 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand. With the series decided, former India opener Aakash Chopra wants the team management to give another opportunity to Mayank Yadav in the fourth T20I.Chopra believes Mayank should replace Arshdeep Singh in the playing eleven for the match in Auckland on Friday 30 October. He also wants Prince Yadav to retain his place in the team.In a video on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, the former cricketer said that India should use the remaining matches to give opportunities to young players.

Chopra wants Mayank to replace Arshdeep

Chopra believes India can make one change to their playing XI for the fourth T20I. He wants Arshdeep to rest and Mayank to return to the side.“Definitely there is scope for one change. Ask Arshdeep Singh to rest. Play both Mayank and Prince because you are giving chances to youngsters in dead rubbers. Mayank actually bowled well in the first match. So why not play him? I am in favor of this one change,” he said.Mayank played only the first T20I of the series and took 1/40 in his four overs. Chopra believes the young fast bowler deserves another chance, especially since India have already won the series.The former opener also backed Bhuvneshwar Kumar to play all five matches despite the senior pacer’s struggles in the first three matches.“I’m not going to talk about playing spin here because there’s really no help for the spinners here. You have to bowl short balls and make the batsmen approach the side boundaries. The spinners can’t do it. The fast bowlers can do it. It might not go well for Bhuvi, but he should play all five games,” he noted.Bhuvneshwar has taken one wicket in the first three T20Is and has an economy rate of 11.58. However, Chopra believes the experienced seamer should continue to get opportunities.

“If Ishan Kishan is available, he has to go in the team.

Chopra also discussed the possibility of Ishan Kishan returning to the playing eleven if he is fit and available. However, he admitted that bringing the wicketkeeper-batsman back into the side would create a selection challenge.The former India player suggested that the team may have to rotate its four top-order batsmen to suit everyone.“If Ishan Kishan is available, he has to go in the team. If he comes, who goes? It’s not an easy decision. You can be the best player on the planet, but because we have to accommodate Vaibhav Suryavanshi and we want to keep all four together, I think you will have to accept the spin support,” he said.Kishan’s return would leave the team management with a tough decision to make on who should step down. Chopra pointed out that it will not be easy to drop Shreyas Iyer or Tilak Varma.

Chopra disputes calls to drop Shreyas or Tilak

Some fans suggested dropping Shreyas or Tilak to make room for other top-order batsmen. Chopra disagreed with this approach, pointing to Tilak’s contribution to India’s recent win and questioning why Shreyas should be dropped after just two poor matches.“Someone said Shreyas should be dropped. Someone below said Tilak should be dropped. I said, ‘Don’t watch the match.’ Tilak Varma just won the match. How do you drop Tilak Varma? Shreyas Iyer has had two bad matches and you say he should be out,” observed Chopra.Chopra admitted that he did not have a clear answer to the selection question. He said Shreyas and head coach Gautam Gambhir will have to take the final decision.The fourth T20I in Auckland will give India an opportunity to test their options ahead of the final match of the series. With the trophy already secured, the team management could use the remaining matches to assess the strength of the bench and manage the load of their regular players.