IND vs ZIM 2022: "Why did you select him at all?" - Aakash Chopra on Rahul Tripathi not getting to play in 3rd ODI

Aakash Chopra has questioned the Indian team management's decision not to play Rahul Tripathi and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the inconsequential third ODI against Zimbabwe.

The Men in Blue went into the final ODI in Harare on Monday, August 22, with an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. While it was an opportunity to give some of the players waiting in the wings a chance, the Indian think tank opted to go with the same batting lineup as the first two games.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra questioned why Tripathi was selected in the squad if he was not going to be given a chance, elaborating:

"The people who were interested in this game said that you should play Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi, give chances to everyone, but nothing like that happened. The question comes that you selected Rahul Tripathi but you are not giving him opportunities. Then why did you select him at all?"

Chopra added that the same was true for Gaikwad as well. The former Indian batter said:

"You are not even able to play him in a dead rubber. Same is the story of Ruturaj Gaikwad. You kept the batting order as it is - Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan were only opening, [Shubman] Gill and Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson and Deepak Hooda."

The squad for the Zimbabwe series comprised largely of players who are either fighting for a place in the full-strength Indian side or coming back from injuries. Most of the batters also didn't get much time in the middle across the first two matches, which the team won rather easily.

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"At least you challenged yourself" - Aakash Chopra on India batting first after winning the toss

KL Rahul opted to chase in the first two ODIs [P/C: Twitter/Zimbabwe Cricket]

Chopra was, however, happy with India's decision to finally bat first, observing:

"You decided to bat first after winning the toss, which doesn't mean you will lose the match. The match went close for sure but you still won. You would have won more easily if you had batted slightly better. But you were not doing that till now, while we could understand why, at least you challenged yourself."

Chopra concluded by stating that the onus was on the visitors to create a challenge for themselves during the series. The renowned commentator explained:

"Challenging yourselves is in your hands because this encounter requires internal motivation, you won't get anything from outside, the opposition is not challenging you that much, so you find ways of challenging yourselves."

KL Rahul's decision to bowl first in the series opener was understandable, but his call to do so in the second game as well took most cricket experts by surprise.

The Men in Blue trounced the hosts by 10 wickets in the first ODI. None of their batters barring Shubman Gill and Shikhar Dhawan got a hit in the middle, which was among the primary objectives of the series.