"If we are being honest, we have an issue in bowling" - Aakash Chopra on whether India should look to chase in 2025 Champions Trophy

Former India player Aakash Chopra has urged the Men in Blue to chase whenever they win the toss in the 2025 Champions Trophy. He opined that India's bowling is their weaker link and that they should rely on their batting strength to chase targets down.

The 2025 Champions Trophy will be played in Pakistan and Dubai from February 19 onwards. India have been hit hard in the bowling department due to Jasprit Bumrah's absence because of a back injury.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener replied in the affirmative when asked whether Rohit Sharma and company should look to chase in the ICC event to make the most of their batting might.

"I am with you 100%. It's the rule in white-ball cricket that whatever is your strength should be the second thing you should do. If your bowling is good, do that later. If your batting is good, do that later, and this team's batting is good," he said.

"We are saying that we have a lot of variation in bowling and have five spinners as well. However, if we are being honest, we have an issue in bowling. Our strength is our batting. We are playing batting till No. 8," Chopra added.

India included two spin-bowling all-rounders in their playing XI in all three ODIs against England. While Ravindra Jadeja batted at No. 8 in the first two ODIs, Washington Sundar, who replaced the left-arm spinner in the XI, batted at the position in the final game.

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"The pressure to win matches should be on the batters" - Aakash Chopra on the approach India should follow in 2025 Champions Trophy

Most Indian batters had a decent hit against England ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra reckoned that the onus should be on the Indian batters to deliver under pressure in the 2025 Champions Trophy.

"The pressure to win matches should be on the batters. So definitely India should bat second. If you win the toss, decide to bowl, and you ideally do that as well because dew also comes later at times. If there is any danger of dew, that is always in the second innings," he said (7:05).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that the pitches in Dubai, where India will play all their matches, are unlikely to become difficult for batting in the second innings.

"So you should have the bat and not the ball in your hand at that time. Whichever way we might see, the answer to that question is India should chase in almost every match. I don't think there will be a pitch in Dubai where you will need to bat first," Chopra observed.

Shubman Gill (259) and Shreyas Iyer (181) were the top run-getters in the three-match ODI series between India and England. While Rohit Sharma played a 119-run knock in the second ODI, Virat Kohli (52) and KL Rahul (40) spent decent time in the middle in the final game.