‘That story is done’ – Aakash Chopra picks his India playing XI for 2nd T20I between India and England

India are all set to face England in the second T20I in the five-match series, and this encounter is set to be played at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday, July 4. The first T20I was washed out due to rain, and the score remains at 0-0.

Aakash Chopra picked India’s potential playing XI for the second T20I. He urged the Indian team management to give one more game to the out-of-form Sanju Samson despite highlighting his struggles in overseas conditions. The former India opener said that now that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won’t get five games to play in the series, it is better if Samson is given one more chance to prove his mettle.

“A pattern is developing with Sanju. He remains good at home, but it’s very different away. It’s been a story of either a century or a duck. Runs haven’t been scored in the last few games. He has two centuries in overseas conditions, but if you remove the South Africa numbers, the numbers become very ordinary. However, since you have given him two games in Ireland and played him a match here as well, play him one more game,” Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“You haven’t kept five matches for Vaibhav. The first thought process was whether you can give Vaibhav five consecutive games. That story is done. That ship has sailed. You will not give him five consecutive matches now. So do justice to the others. If you have started down the path of justice, stay on it. Don’t make any change. Make Abhishek Sharma open with Sanju. Keep Ishan Kishan at No. 3,” he added.

Samson has only aggregated six runs across the three innings he has played in the United Kingdom in recent weeks. In the series against Ireland, he scored 5 and 0. He followed it up with just a solitary run off seven balls in the first game against England.

“I will still say Axar Patel at No. 7 and Harshit Rana at No. 8” – Aakash Chopra

Chopra advised the Gautam Gambhir-led Indian team management to persist with the same top eight that played the previous game. However, he backed Axar Patel to reclaim the No. 7 position, sending Harshit Rana back to No. 8. They had swapped positions in the last game, but it didn’t pay dividends.

“The captain at No. 4. He has scored runs. So he will remain at No. 4. Tilak Varma, the vice-captain, should be there at No. 5. You will keep Shivam Dube at No. 6, no doubt about that. I will still say Axar Patel at No. 7 and Harshit Rana at No. 8, and then you have to play three bowlers, which includes Arshdeep Singh, and you have started playing more spin now,” he said.

The 48-year-old said that India will continue with the Ravi Bishnoi-Varun Chakaravarthy duo unless the conditions are tilted in favour of the seamers.

“So you can do that job according to the pitch. However, I am not expecting a change at all. I am saying they would play as it is. Maybe in the bowling department, if there is more help for fast bowlers on the pitch, you might pick a fast bowler in place of a spinner,” Chopra observed.