Agree with Pragyan Ojha on expediting Tilak Varma for No. 4 in ODIs: Aakash Chopra

India won the third T20I of the five-match series by seven wickets against West Indies in Guyana on August 8 after going 0-2 down. Tilak Varma, who made his India debut in this series, continued his good form and scored his third consecutive thirty-plus score, standing unbeaten on 49 in India's comprehensive seven-wicket win.

Pragyan Ojha recently tweeted that Varma should be fast-tracked into the No. 4 spot for India in ODIs and former India opener Aakash Chopra seconded Ojha’s view but said there is another aspect to it. 

“Generally, we tend to forget people who are not there. This has been a continuous debate happening around the No. 4 position. We even talked about it during the ODI series. We saw three different batters at that position, Axar Patel was also tried at that position, even though he wasn’t a candidate for that position. At that time, we were still discussing Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul, right? When they are back, I think Tilak must wait. But at this point in time, if we don’t see them, then why not, Tilak can be tried," Chopra said on Jio Cinema.

Chopra's co-pannellist, RP Singh concurred with him and Ojha, suggesting that Varma's "profound understanding" of the game makes him a fitting candidate at the crucial position in the line-up. Singh laid emphasis on Varma's ability to take calculated risks and play his game in a fearless manner.

“He has successfully ticked all the boxes, and the most impressive aspect of his batting lies in his fearless approach right from the first ball. He doesn't merely swing for the sake of swinging; instead, he evaluates where to place the ball. His profound understanding of the game, including its pace and rhythm, enables him to take calculated risks," Singh said.

"I feel he is prepared, with his performances in the domestic circuit and IPL, all of that is in his head that he has played such good innings but when you play a match at the international level you need to prepare well knowing which bowlers are there and to which bowler will you be hitting those big shots," he added.