"There was no use in giving the follow-on" - Aakash Chopra on India opting to bat again

Aakash Chopra believes KL Rahul made the right call in not enforcing the follow-on in the ongoing first Test between India and Bangladesh in Chattogram.

India's bowlers dismissed Shakib Al Hasan and Co. for 150 to gain a 254-run first-innings lead. The visitors opted to bat again and declared their second innings at 258/2, thereby setting a mammoth 513-run fourth-innings target for the hosts.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra concurred with Rahul's decision, saying:

"India declared after setting a 500-run target, gave themselves the chance to bowl 200 overs. Not giving the follow-on - I don't think it was a problem. There was no use in giving the follow-on."

The former Indian opener added that India don't deserve to win if they can't bowl out the Tigers in two days, elaborating:

"If we see the World Test Championship, you get 12 points to win the match and there are no chances of rain. However good the pitch might be, if you give the opposition team two days to bat and if you are still not able to dismiss them, we don't deserve to win."

Chopra highlighted that the pitch will also deteriorate as the game proceeds, explaining:

"It is necessary to bat so that you can put such a big total that you can attack throughout, and the last two days will be the most difficult to bat. The ball will turn, the pitch will crumble, there will be footmarks. So I am completely on board. Some people are saying that it is negative, but I have no qualms."

The Chattogram pitch does not hold any demons as of now. While there is some variable bounce and assistance for the spinners, the slow nature of the surface allows the batters to adjust their shots accordingly.

---

"He has been absolutely stellar" - Aakash Chopra lauds Kuldeep Yadav's performance

Kuldeep Yadav registered his best figures in Test cricket.

Reflecting on Bangladesh's first-innings batting performance, Chopra was all praise for Kuldeep Yadav for registering a five-wicket haul, stating:

"It rarely happens that Ashwin doesn't pick up a wicket, Axar (Patel) picks up just one wicket and the opposition team is bowled out for 150. Kuldeep Yadav picked up five wickets. He has had an extremely short career, he has three five-wicket hauls and I think three four-wicket hauls. He has been absolutely stellar."

Yadav returned figures of 5/40 in 16 overs. He was ably assisted by Mohammed Siraj (3/20). Axar Patel (1/10) and Umesh Yadav (1/33) were the other successful Indian bowlers.