There's no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal in the playing XI: Aakash Chopra

Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra discussed India’s expected playing XI, the approach they need to adopt, and the major concerns, ahead of their first match of the ongoing T20 World Cup, against Ireland. As stated on JioCinema and Sports18.

Excerpts:

On the approach India needs to adopt

The pitch in New York has shown that the ball has been acting up. If the ball is acting up, I expect them to take a few wickets early on, whether it's Bumrah or Arshdeep. Take two or three in the powerplay and you'll feel like the contest is in your favor. Whenever you look at teams like Ireland and Scotland, it's crucial to start well. Bowl well with the new ball and bat well with the new ball. If either one of those things doesn't work out, your morale can break. If you want to beat Ireland, you must not lose more than one wicket in the first six overs. Second, take two wickets at the start of your bowling, and then control the game with your spin.

On India’s expected playing XI

Virat Kohli will start with Rohit Sharma, which means there's no place for Yashasvi Jaiswal. At No. 3, Rishabh Pant has a big chance to play because India needs a left-hander. The hope was to have a left-hander open the innings with Yashasvi playing, but they won't keep him in the XI because only one between him and Shivam Dube can play and they're going with Dube. This means Suryakumar Yadav will be at four. Depending on the next wicket, if a left-hander falls, it'll be Shivam Dube next. If a right-hander falls, it'll be Hardik Pandya next, that's your six. At seven and eight, I think it'll be Jadeja and Axar Patel. After that, you'll have Kuldeep Yadav who should 100% play... Then the two fast bowlers, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah. Arshdeep bowled really well in the first warmup game and Bumrah is Bumrah. That's the playing XI I see.

On India's major concerns

Ravindra Jadeja is not your finisher. We thrust him in that role, but he isn't very good at it. We haven't even accepted the fact that he isn't a good finisher and that is a problem. The second concern is Shivam Dube's form, which is cold right now. A thumbs up for us is Hardik Pandya's form. He's back. He's looking really good while batting. Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and of course, Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav, it's all looking great. The two areas of concern are Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja with the bat. Another concern is our fielding, which I think could be problematic.