IND vs SL 2021: "Chetan Sakariya's number might not come now" - Aakash Chopra on the choice of Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling partner

Aakash Chopra reckons it might be a bit too premature to field Chetan Sakariya in the ODI series against Sri Lanka.

Sakariya is among the four pacers in Team India's 20-member squad for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka. While vice-captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a certainty in the playing XI, Navdeep Saini and Deepak Chahar are the other specialist seamers in the contingent.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra opined that he would not opt for Chetan Sakariya as Bhuvneshwar Kumar's new-ball partner in the ODI series. He reasoned:

"Who should partner Bhuvneshwar Kumar? Chetan Sakariya's number might not come now although he gives the left-arm variation. But in the ODIs, I wouldn't want to blood him in straightaway, that you ask him to bowl ten overs, because you have not seen him play that much cricket, he has just played in the IPL."

While acknowledging that Navdeep Saini is an enticing option, the former Indian opener cast his vote for Deepak Chahar as India's second new-ball bowler. Aakash Chopra said:

"Navdeep Saini is a very tempting option because he has the pace. But I am tilting towards Deepak Chahar. He was consistently doing well in the IPL, he has played just two or three ODIs, not many."

Deepak Chahar has scalped a couple of wickets in the three ODIs he has played for Team India. However, he has showcased his prowess in the shortest format of the game, where he has registered a record haul of 6/7.

Deepak Chahar's 6/7 against Bangladesh in November are the best figures in the history of men's T20I cricket. That spell is the T20I Performance of the Year.#ICCAwards pic.twitter.com/QJoXY3OuyQ

— ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2020

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Aakash Chopra on why Deepak Chahar should be given the new ball

Aakash Chopra highlighted that Deepak Chahar can be a potent threat with the new ball

Aakash Chopra added that apart from Deepak Chahar's ability to swing the new ball, the Chennai Super Kings pacer's death bowling can also be put to test. He observed:

"If he [Chahar] plays alongside Bhuvi and they pick up wickets with the new ball, you will break the back of the opposition. Also, you will get to know if Deepak Chahar can bowl as well with the old ball. This is a litmus test of sorts."

However, the 43-year-old signed off by acknowledging that Saini might not be a bad option as well. In this regard, Aakash Chopra said:

"But if you play Navdeep here, I won't be too surprised and not disappointed at all."

Navdeep Saini has picked up six wickets in the seven ODIs he has played thus far. The lanky pacer will hope to get an opportunity in the Sri Lanka series, after having been made to sit out in all but one match in IPL 2021 to date.

Faheem Ashraf's bowling figures today:6 overs45 runs7.5 economy0 wicketOnly two pacers have a worse bowling average than him in ODIs since 2020 (min 50 overs)!99.0 - Navdeep Saini 🇮🇳96.4 - Jasprit Bumrah 🇮🇳𝟵𝟰.𝟬 - 𝗙𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗺 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗳 🇵🇰#ENGvPAK pic.twitter.com/e7rXYORmxV

— Grassroots Cricket (@grassrootscric) July 10, 2021