"You cannot beat Pakistan with batting at No. 8" - Aakash Chopra wants India to play Mohammed Shami ahead of Shardul Thakur in their Asia Cup clash

Aakash Chopra wants India to play Mohammed Shami ahead of Shardul Thakur in their Asia Cup 2023 Super Four clash against Pakistan.

The Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam-led sides will square off at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, September 10. Shardul played ahead of Shami in the group game between the two sides but didn't get to bowl as rain didn't allow a single ball in the Men in Green's innings.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra opined that India need to Shami instead of Shardul. He reasoned:

"I feel you can definitely make a change in bowling. You can play Mohammed Shami in place of Shardul Thakur, I am comparing the team with the previous India-Pakistan match, so that you have at least three quality fast bowlers."

The former Indian opener added:

"Keep trying to pick up wickets regularly because you cannot beat Pakistan with batting at No. 8. If you have to beat Pakistan, then you need three good fast bowlers so that you consistently be at them."

With Jasprit Bumrah being unavailable, both Shami and Shardul were part of India's XI for their last game against Nepal. They picked up a wicket apiece, although the latter got to bowl just four overs.

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"I like that balance better" - Aakash Chopra on India playing an additional specialist seamer

Mohammed Siraj (L) and Jasprit Bumrah will likely be India's first-choice seamers. [P/C: Instagram]

Aakash Chopra feels the presence of three seamers will make the Indian side more balanced. He stated:

"Then you can manage with your spinners, (Ravindra) Jadeja and Kuldeep (Yadav), and Hardik Pandya as the fourth seamer. Personally, I like that balance better although the Indian team's thinking always is that Shardul at No. 8 is non-negotiable, that you need a batter at No. 8 for sure."

While lamenting the lack of batting ability of India's frontline bowlers, Chopra acknowledged that Rohit Sharma and Co. have a tough call to make. He said:

"It is unfortunate that none among (Mohammed) Shami, (Mohammed) Siraj, (Jasprit) Bumrah and Kuldeep bats in a way that will give you confidence at No. 8, but if it's not there, you can't do anything. So it will be difficult for the Indian team to judge which way they should go."

The Men in Blue are unlikely to field three specialist seamers against Pakistan. They have the option to choose between Shardul Thakur and Axar Patel as the bowling all-rounder at No. 8 based on the conditions in Colombo.