NEW DELHI: Former cricketer and renowned cricket analyst Aakash Chopra questioned the stance of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) regarding the underperforming batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
As the BCCI announced the ODI squad for their upcoming away series against the West Indies, resting big names like Kohli and Rohit, cricketer-turned-analyst Aakash appeared dissatisfied with the cricket board’s decision.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former cricketer slammed the idea of resting players, claiming that they have already had enough rest due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
“What is with all the rest? How much rest do you want? Earlier, when a player used to be out of form, he was dropped and picked again only when he scored runs in domestic cricket. But at present, whenever someone is out of form, he rests. Are you guys not worried about it?” Aakash questioned BCCI.
“When there were strict bio bubbles, there was no cricket for almost six months in 2020 from March to September. Next year again you play one-half of IPL, and then after a gap of three-four months, you played the second half. So, it’s already [the] rest of ten months in 2-3 years. You don’t get any more rest than this in professional sport,” Aakash added.
The cricket analyst then slammed the board’s recent practice of dropping youngsters based on the availability of senior players.
“It’s good that India keep giving opportunities to players like Ishan Kishan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Hooda, and Sanju Samson when the big players are rested. But what happens when these fringe players score runs?,” Aakash questioned.
“Do you tell them that they are dropped just because the big players are available now? Won’t they feel what wrong they have done?” he concluded.
It is pertinent to mention here that the BCCI announced the India ODI squad for the West Indies and appointed the seventh captain in the ongoing year as the left-handed batter Shikhar Dhawan will be leading the inexperienced Indian side as Rohit, Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, have all been given rest.
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