Cricket

WI vs IND 2023: Aakash Chopra questions India’s decision to rest Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in 2nd ODI

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has questioned the team’s decision to rest skipper Rohit Sharma and talismanic batter Virat Kohli in the second ODI against the West Indies at Barbados on Thursday. In the absence of their stalwarts, India was skittled out for a below-par score of 181 runs after they were put into bat by WI skipper Shai Hope.

Barring opener Ishan Kishan, who scored a decent knock of 55 runs, none of the Indian batters could get going. In fact, Rohit Sharma had demoted himself to number seven in the opening ODI when the team was chasing 115 whereas Kohli didn’t even bat as the team promoted young batters.

India’s head coach Rahul Dravid claimed that it was their last chance to experiment and give chances to the youngsters in the second ODI before the Asia Cup, while defending the team’s call to rest their veteran batters.

India hasn’t looked solid with the bat in the first two ODIs and they will need to pull up their socks in the deciding game.

“You might be wondering why Rohit and Kohli weren’t there. Was it because the opposition team collapsed in the last match? The West Indies looked extremely ordinary while batting first, so India thought they wouldn’t play their main players, let’s experiment a little more. Could that have been the reason?,” Chopra said in a video shared on his YouTube channel.

With the ODI World Cup on the cards, Chopra doesn’t agree with the team’s decision to rest their main players ahead of the big event.

“If that was the reason, even if you could have got out in one match, that your team gets bowled out for 150, like you made 181 now. So should West Indies ask Shai Hope to rest as this Indian team is very weak? That doesn’t really cut it in my opinion because the World Cup is not too far,” Chopra added.

“The second point could be that players need rest, that a lot of cricket is happening and workload management is required. The truth is that there was one match in June (the WTC final), two matches in July that lasted seven days, and one ODI match. So you played eight days of cricket overall (in July).”
The third ODI between India and West Indies will be played at Trinidad on Tuesday.

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

Irfan Pathan opens up on India’s playing 11 changes for ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels the Indian fast bowlers would be tired ahead of… Read More

July 31, 2025

Dhruv Jurel’s childhood coach reveals Gautam Gambhir’s inspiring chat with wicket-keeper ahead of 5th ENG vs IND 2025 Test

With Dhruv Jurel all set to replace injured Rishabh Pant in the fifth Test match… Read More

July 31, 2025

Ravichandran Ashwin backs Ravindra Jadeja to bat at no.5 in 5th Test against England

Former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin feels Ravindra Jadeja can bat at number five in the… Read More

July 30, 2025

Aakash Chopra lauds Shubman Gill’s century in ENG vs IND 2025 4th Test

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has showered praise on captain Shubman Gill for continuing… Read More

July 30, 2025

Shubman Gill rates Manchester hundred as most pleasing ahead of 5th Test against England

Former Indian captain Shubman Gill has rated the Old Trafford century as the most pleasing… Read More

July 29, 2025

Brad Haddin backs England to win final Test match against India in Anderson-Tendulkar series

Former Australian wicket-keeper bat Brad Haddin has backed England to win the fifth and final… Read More

July 29, 2025