Nikhil Chopra feels India's bench strength is the key to the team's success

Buoyant on the back of a resounding 9-0 victory against Sri Lanka, the Indian team seems to be doing everything right at the moment. Skipper, Virat Kohli has implemented several permutations and combinations within the team, especially in the ODIs against Lanka and every experiment has come through beautifully, owing to the solid bench strength that the team currently sports. Former India cricketer Nikhil Chopra feels that India’s bench strength is the key to the team’s success.

Chopra, in his playing days, had been a part of the Indian side for 39 ODIs and a lone test as an off-spinner. Currently, he coaches youngsters and is a part of the National Cricket Academy (NCA). In a recent interview, the 43-year old deconstructed the route map to India’s stupendous success.

“If we talk about the bench strength, then for any tour when the Indian Team is travelling there are 4 or 5 players who are always on standby at the National Cricket Academy training and practising for the simple reason that God forbid if any player gets injured in the main team then you have a substitute ready who is ready to fly out and fill in those shoes so there is a continuous circle going on,” commented Nikhil Chopra according to India Today.

“The BCCI what they have done is phenomenal, in the NCA as a spin coach you have Narendra Hirwani, you have got W Raman as batting coach, there are fielding coaches there, there are physios, there are trainers who help you with fitness, so every aspect of your game is being taken care of. Players are always on the verge of ‘go’, you get the call and you get on the flight and you are looking to give your 100 percent,” continued Chopra.

Nikhil Chopra talks about India’s success

The former cricketer further elucidated on the setup of the current Indian team by saying, “It is not just a group of 15 or 18 or 20 even players, what is happening in Indian cricket setup is that you have core staff of Ravi Shastri and his support staff then you have physios and other staff as well to help the players. So when the team performs everything in the background makes a big difference and has played its part and this is what the BCCI has been able to do.”

Chopra conceded that the team has been ticking all the correct boxes of late, especially with the World Cup right around the corner. “Team is making some changes and role identifications for 2019 World Cup and everything is working for Team India and this is probably the strongest Indian teams we have seen both in terms of batting and bowling and in terms of the number of match winners, it is a great side,” concluded the 43 year old.