IND vs SL 2021: "Paddikal, Gaikwad, Rana can replace Shaw and Suryakumar"- Aakash Chopra

Former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra doesn't think India will have any issues replacing the likes of Prithvi Shaw and Suryakumar Yadav for the second T20I against Sri Lanka. The duo may be unavailable for selection as they will be heading to England to join the Indian Test team as backups.

However, Aakash Chopra feels the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Nitish Rana have played enough IPL cricket to fill the void of quality that Shaw and Suryakumar bring to the Indian team.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Aakash Chopra stated that any two of these three players can replace Shaw and Suryakumar.

"If they (Shaw and Suryakumar) are available then I don't think you need to make changes because you haven't won the series yet. If they aren't available, you have three options - Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Nitish Rana. You can play any two of these three players. They have enough experience after playing in the IPL," Aakash Chopra asserted.

Sri Lankan batsmen will need to take more responsibility: Aakash Chopra

Sri Lanka failed to chase down a target of 165 in the first T20I despite many of their batsmen getting off to starts. Avishka Fernando and Charith Asalanka looked good while batting in the middle but failed to convert their starts into match-winning scores.

Chopra feels these batsmen will need to take on more responsibility and anchor the Sri Lankan innings if they are to make a comeback in the series.

"This is a struggling Sri Lankan team with a few players suspended so this is all that they have. They will need to play differently and players like Avishka Fernando will need to convert starts into big scores. Asalanka did try his best but he alone can't do all the work. These players will need to bat with more responsibility or else the result will be the same," Aakash Chopra concluded.

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