The team for the upcoming T20I series against New Zealand was unveiled by the Chetan Sharma-led Indian selection committee, with Rohit Sharma taking over as captain and KL Rahul serving as vice-captain. Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya, among others, were significant absentees from the roster. Despite the fact that most of these senior players’ absences were anticipated given the volume of cricket they have played over the previous six months, concerns have been expressed over Hardik’s absence from the lineup. In a video posted on his YouTube account, Aakash Chopra questioned the genuine justification behind the player from Baroda’s exclusion.

“Giving Kohli, Shami, Jadeja, and Bumrah a break was appropriate, but what about Hardik Pandya? Did he require that sleep? Or was he let go? He doesn’t participate in Test cricket, didn’t bowl in the IPL, and did nothing in the final two games of the T20 World Cup,” stated Chopra in the video.

In the past, Hardik was India’s go-to all-rounder for all formats, but since having surgery for a back issue, the 28-year-old has primarily played as a batsman. Hardik didn’t bowl a single over for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, which raised concerns over his selection to India’s T20 World Cup squad. Only time will tell what he has in store for the national team in the future. Chopra felt that the squad was overcrowded with opening batters when commenting on some of the team’s recruits. In T20I cricket, Rohit and Rahul are India’s preferred opening partnership, but other players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer, and Ishan Kishan also enjoy starting the innings. The players would either be forced to play outside of their natural positions or would not have as many opportunities to shine as they would like.

“The squad has far too many openers. We have a serious problem with our system, and I’ll point it out. In the future, the team should select individuals based on available slots and locations where the individual players have scored runs, especially in the T20s. If you say the top run-scoring opener to play at No. 5 for India, he cannot do equally well, then taking into account the IPL performance is a positive thing.” “The squad for the three-match series includes five openers. Furthermore, unless the team wins the first two games and then permits Rahul and Rohit to rest for the dead rubber, they will undoubtedly play.”

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