"It will be a 50-50 decision" - Aakash Chopra on whether Bumrah, Shreyas and Rahul should be picked for World Cup if they miss Asia Cup

Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Jasprit Bumrah — (LtoR) Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah (Pics: Getty Images)

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra believes that the selectors will have a tough decision to make if Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul are declared fit for the ODI World Cup but miss the preceding Asia Cup. According to Chopra, in such a scenario, chances of the trio getting picked for the World Cup could be “50-50”.

As per recent reports, Bumrah is expected to be selected for the Ireland T20I series, while Shreyas might also make a comeback. As for Rahul, who is undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru, he has only just resumed batting and is unlikely to be fit in time for the Asia Cup.

In a Q & A session on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked if he feels the India trio should be picked for the World Cup even if they miss the Asia Cup. He replied:

“Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul have not played cricket for a long period of time. The question is not about whether or not they should be in the World Cup team. If we talk about white-ball bowlers, Bumrah is No. 1. In Rishabh Pant’s absence, Rahul is your perfect keeper-batter kind of option. And if there is a shootout between Shreyas Iyer and Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas is ahead in one-day cricket."

Chopra added that while going with players coming out of injury is not ideal, the length of the tournament might make things easier for the cricketers making a comeback. He explained:

“If none one them play the Asia Cup, then India have one series left, which will be against Australia at home. But only three ODIs are likely to be played there. It will be a 50-50 decision. You do not want to have undercooked players, that’s for sure. The one good thing is that the tournament is very long. It’s a 45-day event with nine league matches. The tournament is happening in India, so acclimatization will not be an issue."

Expand Tweet

India will begin their 2023 World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 8.

“You can ease them into the World Cup slowly” - Chopra

While discussing the cases of India’s key injured players, Chopra further stated that the team management can look to ease the cricketers, who are returning from a layoff, into the World Cup. The former opener concluded:

“You can ease them into the World Cup slowly. But ideally, the players who are not available for the Asia Cup, it will be a bit difficult picking them. Selection will become that much more difficult if these three players are not available for the Asia Cup.”