Aakash Chopra picks India's 5 bowlers for 1st ODI vs Sri Lanka; no place for Umran Malik and Yuzvendra Chahal

Aakash Chopra feels Umran Malik and Yuzvendra Chahal will not feature among the five bowlers India will field in the first ODI against Sri Lanka in Guwahati on Tuesday, January 10.

The Men in Blue have a plethora of options both in the seam and spin-bowling departments in their 17-member squad. Jasprit Bumrah, who was originally not picked, has also been subsequently added to the mix after getting a fitness clearance from the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that all four spinners cannot be a part of the playing XI, stating:

"If we talk about the spinners - Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Yuzi Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav are there. Four spinners cannot play on the Guwahati ground. Bapu (Axar) was the Player of the Series of the recently concluded T20I series."

The former Indian batter reckons Axar Patel is a certain pick, reasoning:

"He is batting and bowling very well. So his name should be there in the team. You need a batter at No. 7 in any case, you won't get anyone better than Axar Patel at the moment. I want to play another spinner at No. 8 for which there are a lot of options."

Chopra feels Washington Sundar has an edge over both Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav for the No. 8 position, explaining:

"They have left-handers, so you will say that you can play Washi Sundar, you will also get batting at No. 8 because your fast bowlers don't bat. If you play Kuldeep or Chahal, your tail will become longer. No. 8 is a position where you don't want to play a bowler for his batting but you want to play a bowler who can bat a little."

Both Chahal and Kuldeep were originally not picked for the preceding ODI series against Bangladesh. The latter was subsequently added to the squad as an injury replacement ahead of the final game and returned figures of 1/53 in his 10 overs.

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"Washington Sundar has been outstanding recently" - Aakash Chopra

Washington Sundar excelled with both bat and ball in the ODI series against New Zealand and Bangladesh.

Chopra believes Sundar should play ahead of the two wrist-spinners based on his recent performances, elaborating:

"To be honest, Washington Sundar has been outstanding recently, you can check the last series. You shouldn't touch him according to me. If Axar Patel plays at No. 7 and Washington Sundar at No. 8, there is no place for Yuzi Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav because you should play three fast bowlers in Guwahati."

Chopra picked Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami and Mohammed Siraj as his three first-choice seamers, saying:

"The three fast bowlers I would like to play: one is Jasprit Bumrah - no doubt. Mohammad Shami - it is not possible that you select him and don't play him - and I will play Mohammed Siraj as the third seamer with my eyes closed. So there is no place for Umran Malik and Arshdeep Singh."

The Indian team management might want to give Umran an opportunity in the ODIs against Sri Lanka after his exploits in the preceding T20I series. They might look to rotate Bumrah and Shami in such a scenario, considering both are also returning from injuries.