IND v AUS 2020: 'India dropping Prithvi Shaw will be like finding a scapegoat'

Former opener Aakash Chopra has opined that the Indian team dropping Prithvi Shaw for the second Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will be like making him the sacrificial lamb for the debacle in the Adelaide encounter.

He made this observation while responding to fan questions in a video shared on his Facebook page.

Aakash Chopra was asked if India can afford to give Prithvi Shaw one last chance in the ongoing Test series. He responded the diminutive opener can very well be dropped as he fared miserably with the bat in both the innings of the first Test.

"They can drop him as well, there is no doubt about that. He has not scored runs in both the innings, so you can drop him easily. He has scored just the four runs."

The reputed commentator acknowledged that there are question marks about Prithvi Shaw's technique. He observed replacing him with Shubman Gill for the Boxing Day Test will necessitate another change for the Sydney Test once Rohit Sharma is available.

"I am just playing the devil's advocate as I also have doubts on his technique, but if you drop him now and make Shubman Gill open in the next match, then Rohit Sharma will come and you will play him."

Chopra added that India will then have to drop either Shubman Gill or Mayank Agarwal to make way for Rohit Sharma.

"So whom will you make sit out then, whoever makes fewer runs between Shubman Gill and Mayank Agarwal. Then, you will keep playing the game of musical chairs. How do you decide that it is enough and more chances are not required to be given."

Aakash Chopra believes dropping Prithvi Shaw might send the wrong signals

Prithvi Shaw has had an extended lean patch that started in the IPL

Aakash Chopra highlighted that while Prithvi Shaw can be dropped, it would be like making him the scapegoat of India's defeat as even Mayank Agarwal was not amongst the runs in the first Test.

"In my opinion, you can drop him but if you have to run the game in the right spirit, don't find scapegoats. Both the openers have done a bad job. If you leave out one of them, then it will come that you are finding scapegoats, that you have lost the match and someone has to be made the scpaegoat for that, so you can make him that."

While acknowledging a case can be made for Prithvi Shaw's omission as he has not scored runs, Chopra pointed out that none of the Indian batsmen covered themselves in glory.

"Although justification can come that you can drop him because he has not made runs but no one made the runs. It has been a bad Test match for all batsmen. It has been a collective failure."

Aakash Chopra signed off by stating Prithvi Shaw being left out will result in too many changes in the Indian playing XI, as they are anyway going to field replacements for Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami for the Boxing Day Test.

"Don't discount that and one change is anyway going to happen, Kohli is not there, so someone has to come. How many changes will you make in the batting or in the team? If Shami is not there, another person will come."

While replacing Prithvi Shaw might result in quite a few changes to the Indian team, the thinktank do not have too many options as the youngster has looked completely out of sorts.

While this change at the top of the order can be done once Rohit Sharma is available for the Sydney Test, it might just be too late as the Indian team cannot afford another reversal at Melbourne.