Asia Cup 2022: Aakash Chopra picks his team of the tournament; only 2 Indians part of the side

Aakash Chopra has picked his team of the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022. Only two Indian players found a place in this hypothetical XI.

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that he did not consider the performances in the final while choosing his side to make it fair to all players. For the record, Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 23 runs in the title decider to bag their sixth trophy in the continental tournament.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Mohammad Rizwan and Pathum Nissanka as his two openers. Regarding the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter, he elaborated:

"I have started with Mohammad Rizwan. He is a keeper, batter and an amazing player. In the beginning, it seemed there is nothing like the law of averages, but there is just one law that Rizwan will come and hit. He is a good player and a fighter."

As for Nissanka, the former India opener said:

"The big challenge was to choose between Kusal Mendis and Pathum Nissanka. I have chosen Pathum Nissanka. Kusal Mendis is very good, he batted very well, Pathum Nissanka somehow just warmed my heart. He has improved his game."

Chopra chose Virat Kohli to bat at the No. 3 position. He explained:

"At No.3, I have kept Kohli. Run-machine is now finally ton-machine Kohli, he scored his 71st century. Of course, it was a dead rubber but it is not his mistake. He scored runs before that as well - two half-centuries, he has been consistently scoring the runs."

Ibrahim Zadran was the only Afghanistan batter picked by Chopra. The latter observed:

"At No.4, I have kept Ibrahim Zadran. He has a 50-plus average, scores 30 runs in every match, scored a fifty in the last match. He is technically very compact, doesn't play unconventional shots, I like him a lot."

Chopra completed his top six by picking two Sri Lankan players. He elaborated:

"Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya played one good knock apiece but at No. 5, I have kept Dasun Shanaka. He is also my captain. He scores important runs and wins matches. At No. 6, let me go with Bhanuka Rajapaksa. He played small-small knocks but he is aggressive. He is not very consistent but is a good player."

Bhanuka Rajapaksa was the Player of the Match in the Asia Cup 2022 final. The left-hander smashed an unbeaten 71 off just 45 balls to help the Lankan Lions set a challenging target for Pakistan when they were in a spot of bother.

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"The two names now are Pakistan's backbone" - Aakash Chopra on Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz

Mohammad Nawaz played a match-defining knock in Pakistan's Super 4 clash against India. [P/C: Twitter]

Chopra picked Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz as spin-bowling all-rounders. He explained:

"The two names now are Pakistan's backbone. Shadab Khan - he didn't play one match but he made a contribution in all other matches. I have kept Mohammad Nawaz in my team. He is absolutely consistent. I have kept them at No. 7 and No. 8 but you can send them up the order."

Mujeeb Ur Rahman pipped Rashid Khan as the third spinner, with Wanindu Hasarnaga missing out as Chopra did not consider the performances in the final. The reputed commentator stated:

"There was a toss-up between Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan. There is not much difference in terms of wickets but in my opinion, Mujeeb bowled better than Rashid in this tournament. So I have picked three spinners."

Chopra concluded by picking Naseem Shah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as his two seamers. He reasoned:

"The last two names on my list are Naseem Shah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. There could have been a toss-up between Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, I have kept Naseem Shah - his two sixes and he bowled well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar - four wickets against Pakistan and five wickets against Afghanistan."

Aakash Chopra's Asia Cup 2022 XI: Mohammad Rizwan, Pathum Nissanka, Virat Kohli, Ibrahim Zadran, Dasun Shanaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naseem Shah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar