"We didn't give wickets to Muralitharan and Shane Warne but we succumb to new spinners" - Aakash Chopra on India's struggles against England spinners

Aakash Chopra has acknowledged that the Indian batters' recent struggle against relatively inexperienced spinners is a concern.

Rohit Sharma and Co. have taken an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ongoing five-Test series against England, heading into the final game starting in Dharamsala on Thursday, March 7. However, the Indian batters have been found wanting at times against the likes of Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra was asked about his thoughts on India's issues against relatively new spinners like Todd Murphy and Matthew Kuhnemann in the previous series and Hartley and Bashir in the ongoing rubber. He responded (9:30):

"It is a problem for sure. Don't know why we do that. As soon as new spinners come, we get stuck. We didn't give wickets to Muralitharan and Shane Warne but we succumb to new spinners."

The former India opener attributed the hosts' struggles against England to their inexperienced batting lineup.

"In the previous series (against Australia), the main reason was that we were preparing very bad pitches. In this series, the main reason is that our batting has very little experience," Chopra stated.

India are without Virat Kohli's services in the ongoing Test series against England. While KL Rahul played only the first Test, Shreyas Iyer has been ignored after his indifferent performances in the first two games. The selectors and team management have also opted not to recall the experienced Cheteshwar Pujara despite his good run in the Ranji Trophy.

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"The suggestion is fine for now" - Aakash Chopra on whether all-format players should get better contracts

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are among the four players who have been given Grade A+ contracts.

Aakash Chopra was further asked whether all-format players should get better contracts. He replied:

"The suggestion is fine for now although we have given Ravichandran Ashwin, who plays only Tests, a Grade A contract. We have also given a Grade A contract to Hardik Pandya, who doesn't play Tests."

The reputed commentator questioned if it would be fine to give Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma a lower-grade contract if they opt to play only Tests in the future.

"Come the next cycle, after this T20 World Cup, Rohit and Kohli might say that they will play only Test cricket as the ODI and T20 World Cups are very far. So will you say that Kohli and Rohit shouldn't be given A+ or A if they play only Tests?" Chopra observed.

Chopra noted that it won't be right if all-format players like Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mohammed Siraj are instead given an A+ contract. He added that seniority matters and sometimes contracts are given based on the players' services to the country and the game over the years.