"I am a little disappointed" - Aakash Chopra on Chahal and Kuldeep's non-selection for Bangladesh ODIs

Aakash Chopra has questioned the omission of wicket-taking spin-bowling options like Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal from India's squad for the upcoming ODI series against Bangladesh.

The Men in Blue will face their neighboring nation in a three-match ODI series, with the first game to be played in Mirpur on Sunday, December 4. No wrist-spinner has been selected in the 17-member Indian squad, with Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, and Shahbaz Ahmed being the three spin-bowling options.

While previewing the first ODI in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra expressed his disappointment over Kuldeep and Chahal being ignored, saying:

"I am a little disappointed that you have gone to Bangladesh and not taken your wicket-taking spinners, you have gone with all-rounders. You have Sundar, Axar and Shahbaz; which means you need all-rounders but there is no place for Kuldeep and Chahal."

Chopra feels the pitches in Bangladesh will be favorable for spin bowling. The former Indian batter elaborated:

"It baffles me a little bit because when you play against Bangladesh in these conditions, it will be the Dhaka ground, the ball will be turning, they will make turning pitches where Shakib (Al Hasan) and Mehidy (Hasan Miraz) will do well and they can play Nasum (Ahmed) if they want."

Chopra, however, acknowledged that finger spinners could also prove handy on spin-friendly surfaces and observed:

"So you will have low-scoring pitches here, they are not 325 or 350-run pitches. So in that case, it is better if you have wicket-taking spinners although it is also true that if the conditions are extremely spin-friendly, the all-rounders also do a decent job. But you should have taken them, that's what I feel."

It is slightly surprising that the selectors opted not to pick a wrist-spinner for the ODI series against Bangladesh. Kuldeep and Chahal were part of the Indian squad for the recent ODI series against New Zealand, where the former did not get to play a game.

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"You have got an all-rounder in the form of Sundar" - Aakash Chopra picks his 5 Indian bowlers for the 1st ODI against Bangladesh

Washington Sundar dished out excellent all-round performances in the ODI series against New Zealand.

Chopra concluded by picking the five bowlers India will likely field in the first ODI against Bangladesh, stating:

"You have got an all-rounder in the form of Sundar. So you will play him, you have no other option. He will bat also at No. 7, you can use him as a floater as well. After that Axar Patel, Deepak Chahar, and then you have Siraj and Shami as your two fast bowlers."

Mohammad Shami has been ruled out of the ODI series against Bangladesh due to a shoulder injury. Umran Malik has been named as a replacement for the veteran pacer.

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