"He is not Jaddu" - Aakash Chopra on Washington Sundar as a potential replacement for Ravindra Jadeja for the 2nd IND vs ENG Test

Aakash Chopra feels Ravindra Jadeja's unavailability for the second Test against England is a huge blow to India as Washington Sundar doesn't bring the same all-round qualities to the table.

Rohit Sharma and company suffered a 28-run loss in the first Test in Hyderabad. They will square off against the visitors in the second game of the five-match series in Visakhapatnam from Friday, February 2. Jadeja has been ruled out of the crucial game due to a hamstring injury.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that India might have to play Sundar in Jadeja's absence. However, he claimed that the Tamil Nadu all-rounder is not a perfect replacement for the Saurashtra player, reasoning (3:25):

"You are going to miss both Jadeja the batter and Jadeja the bowler. Jaddu is this team's life. There is no doubt that he is the World No. 1 Test all-rounder. You got such a big first-innings lead because of Ravindra Jadeja. He also picks up a minimum of two to three wickets and is a gun fielder."

"When Jaddu is not there, you feel you should pick a bowler who can bat as well. So you start thinking about Washington Sundar. He will give control but won't be able to give wickets. He might give as much batting, he is a very good batter, but he is not Jaddu," the former India opener added.

Sundar played three Tests in England's last tour of India. Although he scored 181 runs in four innings at an outstanding average of 90.50, he picked up only two wickets at an underwhelming average of 65.00.

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"You have to do something different to stop the reverse sweeps and switch sweeps" - Aakash Chopra on why India might want to play Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav hasn't played a Test match since December 2022. [P/C: Getty]

Aakash Chopra reckons Kuldeep Yadav is a more enticing option as an attacking spinner. He explained (4:30):

"Playing two off-spinners becomes a question if the pitch is not an extreme turner. So you would want to play Kuldeep because you have to do something different to stop the reverse sweeps and switch sweeps. Kuldeep Yadav can do that because they (England) might fall into the trap if they don't read him from the hand."

The reputed commentator added that the hosts will have to choose between Kuldeep and Sundar depending on the department they want to strengthen. He said:

"Multiple problems arise because of Jadeja's absence. Of course, Bharat's batting has given a little confidence. So he can bat slightly up the order but whom should they play down the order? If you want wickets - Kuldeep Yadav, if you want batting - Washington Sundar."

Chopra doesn't see Saurabh Kumar getting a debut in the Visakhapatnam Test, reasoning that the left-arm orthodox spinner cannot play ahead of Kuldeep. He concluded by saying that India are stuck because of the absence of many first-team regulars.