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Aakash Chopra has criticized Shreyas Iyer's shot selection that led to his dismissal in India's first innings of the first Test against England.
Shreyas scored 35 runs off 63 deliveries as India ended the second day at 421/7 in Hyderabad on Friday, January 26. Rohit Sharma and company have a first-innings lead of 175 runs and will hope to push it beyond at least the 200-run mark.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that the Indian team management might not be too happy with Shreyas' dismissal mode and timing. He explained (4:20):
"Iyer came to bat when (Shubman) Gill got out. The contest with Mark Wood was interesting. Shreyas Iyer seemed a little uncomfortable but he didn't lose much because of that discomfort. He played out that spell but when it seemed like it was all fine, as he plays well against spin, he played a bad shot."
"He read Rehan Ahmed's googly from the hand but tried to hit a six when there was a fielder at deep midwicket - not a great strategy. If you were on 135 instead of 35, it's okay, but when you play that shot on 35, it seemed like India had got stuck. You hadn't got a lead. That shot won't go down very well," the former India opener added.
Chopra noted that Shreyas' dismissal could cost him a place in India's playing XI for the third Test. He reasoned that there could be a toss-up between Shreyas, KL Rahul and Shubman Gill for two positions in the XI once Virat Kohli is back in the mix.
"Mark Wood's pace wasn't bothering him, and he wasn't bothered by spin as well" - Aakash Chopra lauds KL Rahul's knock
![KL Rahul scored 86 runs off 123 deliveries. [P/C: BCCI]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/01/b8947-17062790147024-1920.jpg)
On the flip side, Aakash Chopra lauded KL Rahul for playing a responsible knock. He elaborated (8:00):
"KL Rahul plays spin well. He hit a very good six straight down the ground. He doesn't have any issues whatsoever against pace. He scored 86 runs at a strike rate of nearly 70 and played pace comfortably. Mark Wood's pace wasn't bothering him, and he wasn't bothered by spin as well."
The cricketer-turned-commentator praised the Karnataka batter for being judicious in his shot selection. He said:
"He uses his feet and plays with a straight bat. He played only four sweeps in his entire innings. He picked balls outside the leg stump to play all those sweeps. It's important for you to have confidence in your defense and your game with the straight bat."
Chopra acknowledged that Rahul missed out on a century. He noted that the stylish batter has struggled to convert his half-centuries into centuries in India, considering he has one hundred and nine fifties on home soil.
