"The selectors would have asked them and they would have refused" - Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma missing IND-A vs AUS-A one-dayers

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should have played the one-day series between India A and Australia A. He reckoned that the selectors would have asked the duo whether they wished to play, and they would have refused.

India A will face Australia A in three one-dayers in Kanpur from September 30 to October 5. The selectors recently picked the India A squad for the series, with Rajat Patidar as the captain for the first game and Tilak Varma at the helm in the last two matches.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener highlighted that Kohli and Rohit haven't played any competitive cricket for a long time. However, he opined that the two stalwarts might have declined the selectors' proposal to play the India A one-dayers.

"Neither Rohit nor Kohli is playing. Of course, it's the India A matches against Australia A, and under normal circumstances, we would say it doesn't make a difference as Rohit and Kohli wouldn't play. However, if you see when was the last time they played competitive cricket, Kohli last played in the IPL final and Rohit Sharma played even before that," Chopra said (0:55).

"I am sure the selectors would have asked them and they would have refused. Why am I saying that the selectors would have asked them? Considering the team that has been picked, it has even been tried to include the Asia Cup players, so that some form stays with them and they keep playing competitive games," he added.

Chopra reckoned Kohli and Rohit should have played the series to regain their rhythm.

"I personally feel that when you haven't played cricket for such a long time, you have to give yourself some chance, that you get a little rhythm and play a few games. If you are not going to play at all, you are not setting yourself up for success," he stated.

Aakash Chopra acknowledged that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are great players and might hit the ground running. However, he added that if they don't score runs in the ODI series against Australia, they might look back and realize that they lost a good chance to play some games ahead of the tour.

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"These 2 players will now not be in the Test team" - Aakash Chopra on Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh's selection for IND-A vs AUS-A one-dayers

Harshit Rana (left) and Arshdeep Singh are part of India's Asia Cup 2025 squad. [P/C: Getty]

Reflecting on the India A squad, Aakash Chopra noted that Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh's selection for the last two one-dayers implies that they won't be a part of the Indian team for the Test series against the West Indies.

"Both Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh won't be part of Tests because they have been selected for the two games on October 3 and 5. Arshdeep Singh was a part of the Test team in England and Harshit Rana was a part of the Test team in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, India's first Test against the West Indies is starting on October 2, which means these two players will now not be in the Test team," he said in the same video.

The cricketer-turned-commentator wondered whether Shreyas Iyer's non-selection in the India A one-day squad implies that he would be a part of the Test team for the series against the Windies.

"Shreyas Iyer's name is not there in this team. He is playing and doing captaincy in the multi-day matches, but is not there here. Is he going to be a part of the Test team? I am just trying to read between the lines. So you might see Shreyas Iyer being a part of the Test team, and it's almost confirmed that you won't see Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh," Chopra observed.

Aakash Chopra also noted that Rajat Patidar's appointment as India A captain for the first one-dayer against Australia A shows that his captaincy stocks have risen. He highlighted that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2025-winning skipper is also captaining well in the Duleep Trophy.