"I remember him hitting Babar Azam's stumps in the 2019 World Cup" - Aakash Chopra on his bowling picks for IND vs BAN 2025 Champions Trophy clash

Former India player Aakash Chopra has urged the Men in Blue to play Kuldeep Yadav ahead of Varun Chakaravarthy in their 2025 Champions Trophy clash against Bangladesh. He pointed out that the left-arm wrist-spinner impressed in the 2023 World Cup and castled Babar Azam in the 2019 World Cup.

India will face Bangladesh in their 2025 Champions Trophy Group A opener in Dubai on Thursday, February 20. While Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel will likely be a part of India's playing XI, Kuldeep and Chakaravarthy will potentially compete for the third spinner's spot.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the cricketer-turned-analyst reflected on the choices India might have to make in the bowling department. As for the potential competition between Kuldeep and Chakaravarthy, he said (2:05):

"The big question will be Kuldeep or Varun. Kuldeep played the 2023 World Cup and did well throughout. In fact, I remember him hitting Babar Azam's stumps in the 2019 World Cup. He has consistently picked up wickets in ODIs. If you check the numbers for the last two years, you will find that he is right up there amongst the best in the world."

While observing that India's selections during the preceding ODI series against England raised doubts about their preferred spinner, Chopra opined that Kuldeep is a better bowler in the longer white-ball format.

"The question got raised because you played Kuldeep in one match in the last series and then played Varun in one match. Then Varun got injured and you played Kuldeep. So there is no clarity on who is ahead in the race. My vote will go for Kuldeep because I feel if we do man-to-man marking, Kuldeep offers a bit more than Varun Chakaravarthy in ODI cricket," he observed.

Kuldeep Yadav has picked up 174 wickets at an economy rate of 5.00 in 105 ODI innings. Varun Chakaravarthy registered figures of 1/54 in 10 overs in his only ODI.

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"It will be a toss-up between Shami and Harshit" - Aakash Chopra on the choice of seamers for IND vs BAN 2025 Champions Trophy clash

Harshit Rana replaced Jasprit Bumrah in India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Arshdeep Singh should be a certainty in India's playing XI for their 2025 Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh, with Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana fighting it out for the other specialist seamer's spot.

"It will be a toss-up between Shami and Harshit because I think Arshdeep will play, and I feel Arshdeep Singh should be played as well because he is a left-armer. Left is right, please play him. Harshit is not bowling well with the new ball but is bowling well with the old ball," he said (4:00).

The former India opener reckoned that Shami should play ahead of Rana if the veteran seamer has regained full fitness.

"Shami is bowling better with the new ball but the might is not being seen with the old ball. However, it's been a while since we saw both of them play. So maybe Shami is back to prime fitness. If Shami is fully fit, you go with Shami because he is experienced and will be useful for you against Pakistan," Chopra observed.

However, Aakash Chopra noted that India could go with Harshit Rana if Mohammed Shami is not yet back to his best. He opined that Rana would do well if he is included in the XI for the 2025 Champions Trophy clash against Bangladesh as he is a hit-the-deck bowler and bowls well in his second and third spells.