'Arshdeep Not at Peak, Team Neither Starting Nor Finishing Well': Ex-Opener Highlghts Team India's 'Problem'

The 21-run loss to New Zealand in the T20I series opener has raised quite a few questions about India’s opening pair. In the stiff chase of 177, India lost their top-order, comprising Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi, much before the end of the powerplay. Skipper Hardik Pandya and vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav tried to keep the hosts in the hunt with a 62-run stand but their dismissals scripted a heart-wrenching defeat in Ranchi.

Former India opener Aakash Chopra, in his latest YouTube video, highlighted that Team India has a lot to think about heading into the second T20I against New Zealand as they’re neither starting nor finishing well.

“To be very honest, the Indian team have a lot to think about because you are neither starting well nor finishing well. You are not able to start well with the bat, and you are not able to finish well with the ball,” said Chopra in his YouTube video.

“This problem is a slightly recurring issue although the T20 World Cup is not around the corner, and we have only one-dayers after this. The young players who are playing, we really don’t know how long they will remain together because the IPL will come in between, and then you focus a little more on the players who perform there,” he added.

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Speaking about the bowling unit, Chopra pinpointed Arshdeep’s struggle with the ball in death overs. The left-arm quick 27 runs, including an overstepped no-ball, in the 20^th over of the New Zealand innings. The former cricket said Arshdeep’s inconsistency is not great news for the hosts.

“We need to focus on who bowls where and how much. Arshdeep Singh is not really at the peak of his powers at this point in time. The graph should not be up and down. With the stature Arshdeep currently has, we feel the graph should only go up, but it is going slightly up and down, which is not great news,” Chopra said further.

“I would say that you should give the new ball to Mavi. Hardik bowls well with the new ball, but you won’t be able to use Mavi properly if he doesn’t bowl with the new ball. After that, you can use Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav anywhere with the ball,” Chopra concluded.

Trailing 0-1 in the 3-match series, India will look to bounce back on Sunday when they face the Black Caps in the 2^nd T20I in Lucknow.

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