"That surface is counterproductive" - Aakash Chopra's request to Team India ahead of IND vs WI 2025 Tests

Former India player Aakash Chopra has urged Shubman Gill and company not to prepare rank turners for the Test series against the West Indies. He reasoned that such pitches prove counterproductive as they bring the two sides closer.

India will face the West Indies in a two-match Test series. While the first Test will be played in Ahmedabad from Thursday (October 2) onwards, the second game will begin in Delhi on October 10.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener opined that the hosts shouldn't prepare square turners against the West Indies, highlighting that Rohit Sharma and company lost the final two Tests against New Zealand last year on such surfaces.

"The biggest thing is what sort of pitches you want to play on in these two matches. We got stuck in Bengaluru when the pitch had a lot of moisture. Then we went to Pune and Mumbai and played on turners, and got stuck in both places. Why do you have to make such pitches?" Chopra said (1:45).

"Such pitches are not required at all because the more bowler-friendly pitches you make, the closer the teams come. Yoy are playing in the subcontinent. So the ball will turn. However, if it turns from the first ball and the soil starts coming out, stay away from that kind of a surface because that surface is counterproductive," he added.

Aakash Chopra noted that the West Indies spinners - Jomel Warrican, Khary Pierre and Roston Chase - would seem like Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna or Shane Warne to the Indian batters if rank turners are prepared.

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"It's absolutely fine if it's a three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half day game" - Aakash Chopra

The last Test at the Narendra Modi Stadium ended in a draw. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra reckoned that the Tests against the West Indies should be played on good surfaces, where the matches go into the fourth or fifth day.

"You should play on good pitches where you will have to work a little hard. If the match doesn't get over in three days, so be it. It's a five-day match. It's absolutely fine if it's a three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half day game," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator highlighted that extreme bowler-friendly pitches were responsible for Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara's underwhelming numbers in the latter stages of their Test careers.

"I will be very honest, if you see Virat Kohli or Cheteshwar Pujara's careers, you will find that the runs they didn't score in the end for a long time, the main reason for that was the Indian pitches. When you make such pitches in India, where runs aren't scored, you don't get confidence, and runs won't be scored overseas in any case," Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra opined that the Test matches against the West Indies should be played on pitches that test not only the batters but also the bowlers. He highlighted that India won the final four Tests in last year's home series against England on such surfaces.