"You wish a lot that Kuldeep Yadav should play but he won't play" - Aakash Chopra on India's likely XI for 2024 T20 World Cup clash vs Pakistan

Aakash Chopra has noted that India might want to field Kuldeep Yadav in their playing XI for their 2024 T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan in New York on Sunday, June 9. However, he reckons the Men in Blue might not be able to accommodate the left-arm wrist-spinner in the side.

India defeated Ireland by eight wickets in their tournament opener at the same venue four days ago. Kuldeep didn't feature in the XI, with the inaugural T20 World Cup champions opting to play three specialist seamers and two spin-bowling all-rounders in Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that India will likely stick with the last game's XI and resist the temptation of playing Kuldeep.

"I feel the same team will play. You wish a lot that Kuldeep Yadav should play but he won't play. You want a lot to play Kuldeep Yadav but a batter will be required at No. 8. You will have to play Mohammed Siraj here because you want three fast bowlers plus Hardik Pandya to be there," he reasoned (4:30).

The former India opener reckons Hardik Pandya could make a match-defining contribution in Sunday's game.

"So the Indian team will go with four fast-bowling options and I feel Hardik Pandya could give a Player-of-the-Match-type performance because the scenario is such that everything could go right for him. If wickets fall at the top, he can manage down the order," Chopra said.

Chopra reckons the all-rounder could play a crucial role with the bat in the second half of the innings.

"Pakistan's weak link in bowling is Imad Wasim, whether he plays or not, Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed's off-spin. That is where you actually want to capitalize. So if you are 60-odd in the first 10 overs, you score 30-40 runs from overs 11 to 15, reach close to 100-105, and then you can try to reach 150-160 in the last five," he observed.

Hardik registered figures of 3/27 in four overs against Ireland. He didn't get to bat in that game but scored a blazing unbeaten 40 in the warm-up match against Bangladesh.

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"If India get to bat first, take the game deep" - Aakash Chopra

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will likely open for India.

While urging India to start slightly cautiously if they bat first, Aakash Chopra noted that the match situation might define Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja's batting positions.

"If India get to bat first, maybe they can send Axar Patel up the order if the batting comes after 15 overs. If God forbid, batting comes close to 10 overs, then send Jaddu first. This match could be make or break in the powerplay. If India get to bat first, take the game deep," he said (5:40).

The cricketer-turned-commentator reckons Suryakumar Yadav, apart from Hardik Pandya, could be a key player for India.

"If you start well, you need to have wickets in hand to end well, and we have seen this Pakistan bowling disintegrating. In the end, they even bowl full tosses and don't bowl the length balls that need to be bowled. I am not seeing a change in the team. Suryakumar Yadav could be that trump card along with Hardik Pandya," Chopra stated.

Suryakumar was dismissed for a four-ball two against Ireland. He scored 31 runs off 18 deliveries in the warm-up game against Bangladesh and will want to make a more substantial contribution against Pakistan.