"It has suddenly opened a Pandora's box" - Aakash Chopra on the problems due to Shreyas Iyer's injury

Aakash Chopra feels Shreyas Iyer's likely absence for the first Test against Australia has put India in a spot of bother.

Rohit Sharma and Co. will lock horns with Pat Cummins' side in a four-match Test series, with the first game to be played in Nagpur from February 9. Iyer, who missed the ODI series against New Zealand due to a back injury, has reportedly not yet fully recovered.

He is unlikely to be available for the first game of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that Shreyas Iyer's injury spells trouble for India, saying:

"Shreyas Iyer's injury is another problem. It has suddenly opened a Pandora's box, that whom should you play. If a No. 5 batter is sitting outside in this team, it is Suryakumar Yadav."

Chopra feels KL Rahul is ahead of Shubman Gill in the pecking order of the Indian Test openers, elaborating:

"Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are the openers. Who will open with Rohit? If you go with the pecking order, which we have seen this team do, they made Ishan Kishan sit out after scoring a double century as Shubman Gill had been consistently doing well, KL Rahul should open."

Rahul had an impressive 2021 tour of England and scored a century in the first Test against South Africa later that year. However, he had a dismal run last year, aggregating 137 runs at an underwhelming average of 17.12 in four games.

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"Shubman Gill's case is also very strong" - Aakash Chopra

Shubman Gill scored a century in the first Test against Bangladesh. [P/C: BCCI]

However, Aakash Chopra reckons Gill might open the batting with Rohit Sharma, with Rahul playing in the middle order, observing:

"Shubman Gill's case is also very strong because he is coming after scoring runs in Bangladesh as well and no one has scored more runs than him in 2023.

"The guy is not taking the name of stopping. So you think you can get him to open. If he is made to open with Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul might be sent to bat down the order."

The former Indian opener feels the hosts might not want to give Suryakumar Yadav a look-in in the first Test of the crunch series against the Aussies, stating:

"The injury concerns are a slight spanner in the works. You can give a debut to Suryakumar Yadav, but I personally feel that first match with Australia in front, maybe you are not that confident."

Chopra concluded by saying that India will miss Rishabh Pant a lot. However, he added that Rahul is unlikely to be given the wicketkeeping gloves, with either Srikar Bharat or Ishan Kishan donning that role apart from batting at No. 6.