"I think it is TBD" - Aakash Chopra on the preferred wrist-spinner between Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi in India's T20 World Cup XI

Aakash Chopra feels India are yet to choose between Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi as their preferred wrist-spinner for the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Bishnoi played all three games in the recently concluded T20I series against Afghanistan, picking up two wickets at an economy rate of 10.18. Kuldeep, who was included in the XI only for the final game, registered figures of 1/31 in three overs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reflected on some of the bowling decisions India would have to make heading into the T20 World Cup. As for the competition between Kuldeep and Bishnoi, he said:

"Who is our lead spinner between Kuldeep Yadav and Ravi Bishnoi as only one of them might get to play? Both might not be able to play together. If that happens, who will play in the XI? I think it is TBD (to be decided)."

The former India opener feels the Men in Blue's seam-bowling combination has also not yet been finalized. He explained (7:30):

"We didn't play (Mohammed) Siraj and (Jasprit) Bumrah. Among the three fast bowlers, only Arshdeep (Singh) has consolidated his position slightly because he bowled well in the first two matches. Mukesh Kumar saw both highs and lows, and Avesh (Khan) played only one match. So it is yet to be decided."

Chopra opined that Deepak Chahar should be picked in the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup. However, he acknowledged that performances in IPL 2024 would be the deciding factor.

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"Axar Patel hasn't let you down even once whenever he has been given chances" - Aakash Chopra on Axar's race with Jadeja

Axar Patel was the highest wicket-taker in the T20I series between India and Afghanistan. [P/C: BCCI]

Reflecting on the battle between Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, Aakash Chopra noted that the former has always delivered the goods whenever he has been given a chance. He elaborated (6:05):

"Axar Patel or Jaddu? Axar Patel hasn't let you down even once whenever he has been given chances. He has been absolutely consistent. He was played two matches (vs Afghanistan), picked up four wickets, and was the Player of the Match in the second match."

The cricketer-turned-commentator feels the Gujarat spin-bowling all-rounder should be ahead of his Saurashtra counterpart, reasoning:

"You played him five matches against Australia. He was the Player of the Match in the last two matches. He is economical, picks up wickets, and bowls the difficult overs. He bowls in the powerplay and bats decently as well. In my book, he is slightly ahead of Jaddu."

However, Chopra acknowledged that the Indian think tank might be thinking differently. He reasoned that while Jadeja was the vice-captain in the T20I series against South Africa, Axar wasn't even part of the squad.