"Should Sanju Samson's name not have been a part of this team?" - Aakash Chopra picks India's probable XI for 1st ODI vs Australia

Aakash Chopra has picked India's probable XI for the first ODI against Australia. The cricketer-turned-commentator feels Sanju Samson should have been added to the Indian squad once Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the series.

The first game of the three-match series will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday, March 17. With Rohit Sharma unavailable for personal reasons, Hardik Pandya will captain the hosts in the series opener.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned Sanju Samson's non-inclusion in the Indian squad, explaining:

"Rohit Sharma is not playing the first match. Shreyas Iyer is not playing the entire series. So should Sanju Samson's name not have been a part of this team? I am not even thinking from a keeping perspective - Ishan Kishan and KL Rahul are there."

The former Indian opener added:

"Whenever he has played, if you see the last little while, his performances in ODIs have been good. So when a spot has opened up, he could have definitely come. He could have become a part of this team in place of Shreyas Iyer for sure."

Chopra picked an expected top six for the first ODI, elaborating:

"Let's talk about the batting order first - Ishan Kishan with Shubman Gill in Rohit Sharma's absence and Virat Kohli at No. 3. I don't see Suryakumar Yadav playing at No. 4. I feel KL Rahul will play at No. 4, Hardik at No. 5 and Surya at No. 6 or vice versa."

India are likely to go with the aforementioned top six as they don't have any other batters in the squad. KL Rahul might be seen donning the wicketkeeping gloves despite Ishan Kishan's presence in the XI, with the long-term perspective in mind.

---

"I am keeping Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7" - Aakash Chopra

Ravindra Jadeja has not played an ODI since July last year.

While picking Ravindra Jadeja as the spin-bowling all-rounder, Aakash Chopra highlighted that India would want to play Umran Malik for his wicket-taking abilities in the middle overs, saying:

"I am keeping Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7. You will want to play Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik, because Umran Malik brings such a fantastic dimension to India's ODI play in the middle overs, that you feel elated."

However, the reputed commentator feels Shardul Thakur might pip the Jammu and Kashmir speedster for a spot in the playing XI, reasoning:

"However, there will be a slight tug of war because if we keep those three and then say Yuzvendra Chahal, that will not happen. The Indian team's viewpoint has been that they want a batter at No. 8. So Shardul Thakur has the brightest chances of playing at No. 8."

Chopra doesn't see India fielding three spinners in the first ODI due to the likelihood of dew and the short boundaries at the Wankhede Stadium. He picked Washington Sundar ahead of Axar Patel if the Men in Blue want to go that route.

Aakash Chopra's probable India XI: Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammad Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal