Aakash Chopra picks his current best Test XI; No place for Kane Williamson

As international cricket is yet to restart, many experts are continuing the trend of making their favorite XIs. Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra decided to create his current Test XI with players from all over the world. He selected 15 players in total, however, he mentioned who will be in his first XI. He made a video on his XI and uploaded it on his YouTube channel.

To start off, Chopra picked Tom Latham as one of the two openers. The Kiwi opener has had a great record with the bat but goes unnoticed at times. To partner him, Mayank Agarwal was selected. He hasn’t played a great deal but Chopra recounted his efforts at both home and away conditions as credible.

Quinton de Kock edges over BJ Watling for aggression: Aakash Chopra

At no. 3, Chopra kept Steve Smith, whose average is above 62 in Tests. He is also the no.1 Test batsman. After this, Virat Kohli was chosen for the no. 4 spot. He was also handed over the captaincy of this side. For no. 5, he chose England’s Test captain, Joe Root. There was another Englishman in the all-rounder’s spot. Ben Stokes, who has been phenomenal in both ODIs and Tests was chosen as the only all-rounder in the side.

For the wicketkeeper’s slot, Quinton de Kock was selected. Chopra talked about him being an aggressive batsman which gave him an upper hand over BJ Watling. There were three pacers who were selected in Aakash Chopra’s side. Australia’s Pat Cummins, New Zealand’s Neil Wagner, and India’s Jasprit Bumrah made it to the former Indian cricketer’s choice of XI. All three pacers have been exceptionally well in red-ball cricket.

For spinner’s spot, it was surprising that Chopra didn’t go with Ravichandran Ashwin. Instead, Nathan Lyon, who has been topping charts from the last few years was selected.

Aakash Chopra’s current Test XI: Tom Latham, Mayank Agarwal, Steve Smith, Virat Kohli (C), Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Quinton de Kock (WK), Pat Cummins, Neil Wagner, Jasprit Bumrah, Nathan Lyon

The two batsmen who were selected in reserves were two new faces of the Test arena. Babar Azam and Marnus Labuschagne are two batsmen who are quickly entering the list of the top Test batsmen. They were chosen here ahead of the likes Rohit Sharma, David Warner, and Kane Williamson. BJ Watling was included as a reserve wicketkeeper along with England’s premier fast-bowler Stuart Broad.

Reserves: Babar Azam, Marnus Labuschagne, BJ Watling, Stuart Broad

Watch the video