Asia Cup 2022: "You have put him in cold storage" - Aakash Chopra picks his Indian squad for the tournament

Aakash Chopra has picked his 15-member Indian squad for the Asia Cup 2022 to be staged in the UAE.

The prestigious continental tournament is scheduled to be played from August 27 to September 11. The Indian selectors will want to pick their strongest unit to prepare for the T20 World Cup later this year.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra reckoned that Team India should open with KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma, considering that Ishan Kishan has been mostly sidelined in recent times. He elaborated:

"KL Rahul will open if he is available. So Rahul with Rohit - simple, straightforward but this is the same Rahul and Rohit with whom you needed Ishan Kishan in the last World Cup. After that, you made Ishan open a lot, he made a lot of runs but when you are nearing the selection, you have put him in cold storage."

Chopra feels there will be competition between Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik for the wicketkeeper-batter's spot in the XI. The cricketer-turned-commentator said:

"So my 15-member squad will be Rahul with Rohit, Virat Kohli at three. Suryakumar Yadav at No. 4, I want him to come at his original number. Hardik at No. 5, then Rishabh Pant. There is going to be a shoot-out between him and Dinesh Karthik but both will be part of the squad."

Chopra believes Deepak Hooda should pip Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson as the additional batter in the squad. He reasoned:

"I have written Pant's name at No. 6 but it's not his batting order. After that, I have written Hooda's name. Only one out of Hooda, Shreyas and Sanju Samson can be picked. In my opinion, it has to be Deepak Hooda because the skill set he brings is unique, he also bowls off-spin."

It would certainly be a tough call for the Indian selectors to choose between a multitude of batting options at their disposal. Picking the XI would be an even more arduous job, especially if they are looking to play Karthik as the finisher.

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"If you have included Ashwin so late, you will also want to keep him with you" - Aakash Chopra

Ravichandran Ashwin gave a decent account of himself against the West Indies. [P/C: BCCI/Twitter]

Aakash Chopra picked Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal as the three spinners in his squad. He explained:

"After that, Jadeja, Ashwin and Chahal. Jaddu and Chahal will play and if you have included Ashwin so late, you will also want to keep him with you. Kuldeep, Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel also have a strong case, so there can be some commotion."

Chopra cast his vote for Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammad Shami as his four seamers. The 44-year-old said:

"Then Bumrah and Bhuvi, there is no doubt about that. I am assuming Harshal Patel is unavailable, then Arshdeep Singh, I will keep Mohammad Shami in my team, and Dinesh Karthik. If India is allowed to pick a 16th player, I think it will be Axar Patel because there are some question marks over Jaddu's fitness."

Aakash Chopra's Indian squad for the Asia Cup: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Dinesh Karthik.