"If you waste your chance, you will remember it later" - Aakash Chopra on Sanju Samson heading into 3rd T20I vs West Indies

Aakash Chopra feels Sanju Samson needs to make the most of his chances since someone like Jitesh Sharma could replace him as a middle-order wicketkeeper-batter in India's T20I side if he doesn't.

India will lock horns with the West Indies in the third T20I of the five-match series in Providence, Guyana, on Tuesday, August 8. They suffered reversals in the first two games of the series, with Samson aggregating 19 runs across his two hits.

While previewing the third T20I in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted the game's significance for Samson. He elaborated:

"Sanju Samson - don't waste your chance. If you waste your chance, you will remember it later. It is not that if Ishan Kishan goes from the top, Sanju cannot go from below. Both can go and Jitesh Sharma can come."

The former Indian opener wants Suryakumar Yadav to be more judicious while responding to calls for singles going forward. He stated:

"Suryakumar Yadav, you can't doubt the player, got run out in one match. He should have said 'No' in the last match. It was a non-existent single. It was Ishan Kishan's mistake, in my opinion, but whoever gets out in the end is at fault."

While observing that Suryakumar's run-out was a huge setback for India in the second T20I, Chopra added that not much needs to be spoken about Tilak Varma:

"So if Suryakumar had refused and in that if Ishan had gotten out, so be it. Surya getting out didn't really work out for India. Tilak Varma is playing well at No. 4, so let's not talk about him."

Varma has made a stupendous start to his T20I career. The left-handed middle-order batter has smashed 90 runs at an impressive strike rate of 142.85 in two innings, which is the most runs by an Indian player in his first two games in T20I cricket.

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"I don't think he can bat with a lot of freedom" - Aakash Chopra on Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya was slightly conservative with the bat in the first two T20Is.

Aakash Chopra feels Hardik Pandya will have to continue to bat slightly cautiously due to the lack of batting depth after Axar Patel at No. 7. He explained:

"Hardik Pandya is going up and down. I don't think he can bat with a lot of freedom because Axar Patel is at No. 7. He is getting to bat very early and a lot of overs are left. I have got no idea what is the solution for that issue. If there is no one, from where will you get the solution?"

Pandya has aggregated 43 runs at a strike rate of 116.21 in his two innings of the ongoing series. He has been castled on both occasions, with India losing the first game from a winning position after his dismissal.